'Trying to hold it together' in a housing crisis

Natasha France lives in a one-bedroom flat in Denton with her husband and two children

Up to 75,000 extra homes are needed across a region if it is to solve its housing shortage.

The population of the Greater Manchester area has grown by over 500,000 in the last 20 years, and for some people, overcrowded and unsafe homes are the reality.

Natasha France, from Denton, said her family of four was squeezed into a one-bedroom flat.

"I'm trying to hold it together for my family but I'm crying all the time," she said.

The 36-year-old said: "I'm really depressed with it. We're under each other's feet.

"I cant get a shower privately because the kids are running in and out."

There are plans for tens of thousands of new homes across Greater Manchester

The recently-launched Housing First unit aims to increase the supply of housing, and drive up standards.

And the UK’s first Good Landlord Charter will mean tenants will be able to take action against rogue landlords by requesting a property check by an enforcement team.

Chloe Towers, from Ashton-under-Lyne, has two young children and lives in a hostel with her two year-old son.

The 24-year-old said: "I was living in a rented house with my two kids but it was full of mould. I was sharing a bedroom with them. My three-year-old daughter won't sleep with me in the hostel, so she's now staying with her father. Every single Wednesday, I bid for a house, so me and my two children can live there".

Currently, about 86,000 people are on waiting lists for social housing in the region.

Chloe Towers from Ashton-under-Lyne is on the waiting list for a house with her two young children

Zahra Khanzadh lives in Stockport with her husband and three-year-old daughter

Zahra Khanzadh, 45, moved to Stockport from Iran in 2020.

She now lives in a one-bedroom flat in the town centre with her husband and three year-old daughter.

She said: "My daughter is very naughty and she wants to play. Really, I'd like a house with two bedrooms and a little garden, so she can play with her toys.

"It's very difficult".

'Urgent action'

The mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett, is the lead member for housing on the city region authority.

He said more than 24,000 homes had been lost to the Right To Buy scheme over the last two decades, and replacements had never come fast enough.

A government spokesperson said: "Far too many people are stuck on social housing waiting lists.

"We are taking urgent action to change this by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

"We have already taken steps to reform the planning system, and have announced an extra £500 million for the Affordable Homes Programme so that families in Greater Manchester and elsewhere will be able to access to the housing they need."