New figures have revealed that one in ten working parents in the North are skipping meals so they can afford to pay their rent or mortgages.
Homeless charity Shelter claim over 850,000 parents are cutting back on buying food just so they can keep up with housing payments.
The Government’s own figures show that families are spending a substantial amount of their earnings on accommodation. In the English Housing Survey officials found that households are spending 28% of their weekly income on housing costs alone, rising to 40% for private renters.
These costs are coming at the expense of not only food but other household essentials as well. Over a quarter of a million of those surveyed said they had to delay buying new shoes for their children with others being forced to put off buying new school uniforms.
LISTEN: Zorana Halpin from Shelter explains in an interview the problem facing thousands of families in the North.
https://soundcloud.com/c-oconnor/shelter-interview