Homeless Charity Receives Record Number Of Calls From The North East

19 November 2014, 06:00 | Updated: 19 November 2014, 09:20

A housing charity's told Heart it's getting a record number of calls from people in the North East on the brink of homlessness

Over the last year, the charity's helpline's advisers spoke to more than 2,000 callers from our region on the brink of homelessness - an increase of 28% from 2012.

Overall, the number of callers from the North East of England to the helpline rose to a record high of more than 2,700 over the same period.

As England's shortage of affordable homes continues to push housing costs sky high, the charity is expecting even more families to be in desperate need of its help this Christmas.

Recent Shelter analysis of government statistics revealed that 28 households in the North East of England are at risk of losing their home every day.

Shelter helpline adviser Nadeem Khan said:
"It's so heart-breaking to hear from families struggling to keep a roof over their heads, especially around this time of year.

Hearing the panic in a parent's voice when they've just been evicted or had their home repossessed never gets any easier. Sadly, every year we get more and more of these calls over the holidays, and this Christmas will be no different."