The fear and uncertainty gripping us all in these trying times shall leave an indelible mark on the collective memory and consciousness of the Maltese for years and generations to come.
The Health Authorities and medical practitioners, to whom we owe our infinite gratitude for safeguarding us from this invisible enemy, have time and time again appealed to the general public to stay in their homes as much as possible to help prevent the sustained transmission of this harrowing virus within our communities. This is the time to heed to the advice of our heroes on the frontline, but it is also the time to deeply reflect on the fate of those vulnerable women, children and men who face the daunting prospect of not having an adequate roof over their heads in these moments of widespread consternation.
The Maltese State has been proactive in its fight against rooflessness, taking the front foot in this struggle by effectively using the wealth generated by our growing and robust economy to diversify and enhance the social services it provides to those marginalised individuals who have struggled to keep up with the prolific rise in property prices which has characterised the local property market in recent years The Government has undertaken bold steps in a concerted effort to move away from the traditional notion of 'social housing' as one resting exclusively on the pillar of conventional social accommodation and has launched new schemes in the form of equity sharing for individuals over the age of forty, affordable housing and half-way or specialized housing to reach those persons who are encountering novel difficulties and therefore require innovative solutions.
These new schemes have had a direct effect on the perception of rooflessness on our Islands, with prominent stakeholders in the area - most notably Caritas Director Anthony Gatt and the General Workers Union both welcoming these initiatives, with the former lauding the Government incentives mentioned above and also citing the recently increased rent subsidies as having led to a decrease in the number of Maltese persons seeking institutional help. Earlier this week, the Government announced that the housing benefit shall be strengthened even further, by way of an upwards adjustment of the amount given to those families which lose employment due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Ministry for Social Accommodation, under the leadership of Minister Roderick Galdes, has no intention of resting on its laurels and shall continue seeking new avenues for development in the wake of the upcoming National Housing Strategy to be launched in the coming months. Furthermore, the Ministry remains committed to the reform of the private residential lease sector, with encouraging results being registered so far, with over 7000 rental agreements being registered so far with the Housing Authority. This reform has also significantly expanded the Authority’s competences and nowadays it serves as the central entity tasked with protecting the rights of both tenants and landlords in this ever-evolving and delicate sphere.
Despite the positive steps taken by this administration to address the ongoing challenges in the field, COVID-19 and its potential aftermath shall, in all probability, bring about radical and unforeseen shifts in the national and international social landscape. We have already witnessed, in our own lifetime, the gruesome after-shock of financial crises hitting our neighbours, and were often unwilling spectators to the implosion of what seemed like thriving property markets in these States.
Although Malta, owing to its reliable financial institutions, sound management of sovereign debt and hard-working populace, is not poised to follow suit, the Government should not and shall not stand idly by and should instead focus all its energy to ensure that no single woman, man or child be left behind.
The spectre of rooflessness looms large over the Maltese Islands, maybe larger today than it ever has, but this challenging epoch shall bring to the fore the resilience and solidarity of the Maltese people. The Ministry for Social Accommodation shall honour the memory and spirit of long-time social activist and dearly missed colleague Joseph Bartolo (affectionately known as “Sloopy”) in its efforts to curb poverty, keep rooflessness at bay and now more than ever provide affordable and adequate housing to those in need, despite the seemingly insurmountable odds.