In the north-east city, charity Crisis is having to buy its own housing stock to meet sharp rise in homelessness
Crisis charity to become a landlord in attempt to rectify ‘catastrophic’ housing in UK
It used to be rare to see people waiting outside the Crisis centre in the heart of Newcastle, but now a queue of people snakes around the building most days before it opens its doors.
It is a constant stream of rough sleepers, workers sleeping in their car or sofa-surfing, families reeling from an eviction notice, people fleeing domestic violence or recently arrived refugees with nowhere to go filing in desperate for help.
The north-east city used to be considered among the country’s most affordable places to live, but in recent years it has been engulfed in a housing crisis that has pushed the city closer to London with its soaring rents and long waiting lists for social housing.
