Dear members — today’s story is about Rachel, a woman who has been living in a council-funded “temporary accommodation” block for two years. The building in Openshaw is one of dozens of such blocks across Greater Manchester that house people who are homeless and waiting to find somewhere more permanent to live, and whose numbers have skyrocketed in recent years.

We’ve been meeting dozens of people who live in these facilities, as part of a broader piece we are doing on homelessness in the city. But to accompany that work, we also want to bring you a few of the surprising individual stories we have encountered along the way — including Rachel, who chronicles her homeless life via the viral video-sharing app TikTok.

A warm welcome to our handful of new members who joined in the past few days. Feel free to share these members-only editions of The Mill with friends, and please do take the opportunity to comment on our posts using the button at the end of our newsletters. We’re now on 1,27…