The historic former Wickham Public School could be sold for just a dollar, with Newcastle Council to consider selling the three-million dollar building to the Samaritans Foundation.

The Samaritans want to use the site to accommodate the region’s homeless and vulnerable youths, with the proposed purchase to go before council on Tuesday night.
The building was transferred to Council in 1996 for the nominal sum of $2 and has since been used for student accommodation.
Although council currently receives $180,000 in rent, a cost analysis indicates the maintenance bill on the building could top more than half a million dollars per year within a decade.