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July 1st2010

COAST & COUNTRY COME TO THE RESCUE OF MUM-OF-THREE

Coast & Country, one of the largest regeneration and housing companies in the North East, has helped a family at risk of losing their home keep a roof over their heads.

Alison McAuley, a mother-of-three, has become the first person in Coast & Country’s catchment area to be helped under the Mortgage Rescue Scheme.

This means that Alison and her family have been able to stay in their home in Kentmere Avenue, Skelton, in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland. The 43-year-old has become a tenant of and will pay rent to Coast & Country.

Alison faced the heartbreak and upheaval of losing the house the family had lived in for five years following the break-up of her marriage.

But Coast & Country has stepped in and taken ownership of the four bedroomed detached property, enabling Alison and her twin boys, Sean and Daniel, who are aged 12, to remain in the house.

Alison, who has a 21-year-old daughter Taleesa, who is a student at Sheffield University, said: “This is a fantastic scheme. It means that we have been able to stay in our house and the boys have not had the upset of moving away from their friends. Thanks to Coast & Country, we have been given a fresh start.”

Iain Sim, Coast & Country Chief Executive, said: “Through the Mortgage Rescue Scheme, Coast & Country is providing a safety net for when people need it most.

“By working with partnership agencies, including the local council, we can identify and help local families in need so that they can stay in their home.'

Alison, added: “It has been a difficult time. I bought my first house at 18 and never thought I would end up in a position where I could lose the roof over mine and my family’s head, but the break-up of my marriage left us in that awful position.

“Due to the Mortgage Rescue Scheme, I feel today is the first day of the rest of our lives and we can finally put the stresses and strains of the last few months behind us and look forward to the future.”

Under the Government’s Mortgage Rescue Scheme, housing associations buy either a stake in a property or the entire home from the owner. The owner can then remain in the home, paying either a reduced mortgage or rent to the housing association.

To be eligible, applicants have to be considered to be in “priority need” such as someone with dependent children or someone who is vulnerable because of old age or a physical or mental impairment.

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