A SCHEME to help people in short term financial difficulties stay in their own homes could soon be adopted in Richmondshire.

District councillors will decide next month whether to join a regional mortgage assistance scheme.

Known as Breathing Space, it offers interest free short-term loans to people experiencing difficulty paying their mortgage or secured loan repayments – and as a result facing repossession or homelessness.

Launched in 2009, and run across Yorkshire and the Humber by Wakefield Council, it has already helped 350 households and offered advice to another 1500.

Richmondshire’s deputy leader Councillor Ian Threlfall said: “This scheme tackles financial vulnerability at a time when people could be facing homelessness.

“It is therefore vital that Richmondshire looks to sign up to it.

"When the authority ran a similar scheme itself using central government funding we saved around 20 families from homelessness.

“It literally gives people time to breathe when they are going through a bad period – they have the space to get their finances in order through these loans.”

The authority’s corporate board will make a decision on joining the scheme when it meets next month.