The hidden scandal: an estimated 300 people are homeless
An estimated 300 people are homeless, meaning that they are sleeping in the rough, in unsafe housing or in cars, Roberta Sammut, the dean of the faculty of health sciences at the University of Malta, said in a conference titled ‘Homelessness: The Hidden Scandal’.
The conference, which was organised by the University of Malta faculty of health sciences, the faculty of social wellbeing and YMCA and which saw 120 delegates from a number of fields, aimed to create a discussion surrounding the topic of homelessness, which is in many senses hidden from the public eye. Sammut said that they had termed this topic as a “scandal” because it is an issue that puts all of us to shame, and said that it was society’s duty to acknowledge and deal with the reality of homelessness.
Andrew Azzopardi, the dean of the faculty for social wellbeing, said that while there had been progress in terms of social housing and help with dealing with property, one cannot ignore the issues which are present and which need to be challenged. “We need to create a discomfort that will not only lead to discussion, but also to action,” Azzopardi said. Quoting the late Charles Miceli, Azzopardi said that it was up to them to rock the boat but with the key intent of bringing about positive change.
Anthony Camilleri, the CEO and National General Secretary of YMCA Valletta, said that today there was still no legal definition of homelessness, and that Malta’s laws do not favour the vulnerable He said that to them, homelessness does not pertain just to the roofless, but also to those who are sleeping in cars, abandoned buildings and inadequate housing. He added that there is also a new phenomenon to look at; the working homeless. He said that the aim of the YMCA was not to build another homeless shelter, but to eradicate homelessness entirely.
Various tributes were paid to the late Charles Miceli, who passed away suddenly last March aged 68, with Caritas’ director Anthony Gatt leading the testimonials. Gatt said that Miceli was relentless in his work for the poor, and said that he had the ability to get into the shoes of the person in front of him and identify with them. He described Miceli as a ray of hope both for staff working in this sector and for those going through tough times in shelters across the island.
The conference had two key note speeches and a number of