Scheme helped divorced wife find somewhere to live

DIANE Pulleyn's successful business career and seemingly happy family life were ripped apart three years ago when she separated from her husband of 16 years.

The mother-of-four's middle class lifestyle was thrown into turmoil as she coped with a divorce and the desperate need to find a new home.

But the huge cost of property in her home city of York meant Mrs Pulleyn was priced out of the market – and was faced with having to live in a hostel.

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The average cost of a home in the city is now more than 191,000, while average incomes are less than 20,500.

Mrs Pulleyn, 51, said: "It was a desperate time as I simply did not know what to do. I had owned my own property since 1983, and now I was faced with being homeless.

"It is a situation that anyone can find themselves in, and I wouldn't wish the worry and stress on anybody. It was a terrible time, but I know that I am not the only person out there who has experienced this.

"There are so many other people who find themselves in a similar position, often through no fault of their own."

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Mrs Pulleyn, who grew up in Castleford before moving to York in 1985, ran three successful businesses with her husband before they split. The couple owned a caravan park and farm shop on Wigginton Road in York, and also ran a gardening business.

However, Mrs Pulleyn admitted that her divorce meant she was faced with having to start again.

She now works as a receptionist for an alternative health therapist in the Acomb district, where she has now secured a three-bedroom house through the YorHome scheme launched a year ago which has since helped accommodate 42 families.

The council acts as a letting agent to liaise between private landlords and prospective tenants.

Mrs Pulleyn said: "The scheme has been an absolute godsend, I really do not know what I would have done without it.

"It has helped me to get a new home and allowed me to start to rebuild my life."

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