Social mobility begins with the right to a home

Social mobility is not simply about creating opportunities for people to move forward in life. It is about ensuring that everyone, regardless of their starting point in life, has a chance to build a better future. One of the strongest foundations for this is access to affordable, adequate and secure housing. Without a stable home, it becomes much harder for individuals and families to progress in life.

Mobility does not simply mean ensuring affordable and secure housing is available, but that assistance reaches those who genuinely need it, when they need it most.

This commitment is at the heart of my parliamentary work. I have closely monitored government investment in social and affordable housing, as well as the support being provided to families, through a series of parliamentary questions to the minister responsible for social and affordable accommodation. These questions are an important tool for holding government to account, promoting transparency, and ensuring that housing policies genuinely respond to people’s needs.

A recent PQ that I addressed to the Housing Minister Owen Bonnici provided valuable insight into how government housing schemes are supporting thousands of Maltese and Gozitan families.

The reply revealed that more than 15,000 individuals and families benefited from housing schemes during 2025, demonstrating the scale of public investment in helping people either purchase their first home or secure affordable rental accommodation.

Moreover, figures show that the First-Time Buyers Scheme remained the most widely used scheme supporting home ownership. During 2025, 7,213 families benefited from this initiative through a government investment of almost €7 million. This supports the aspiration of young couples and families to own their own home and highlights the importance of reducing financial barriers to entering the property market.

The parliamentary reply also confirmed the positive impact of the Equity Sharing Scheme, through which government purchases part of the property alongside eligible buyers. In 2025, 57 families benefited from this scheme, representing an investment of over €4.3 million. For many people who would otherwise struggle to obtain sufficient financing, this scheme offers a realistic pathway towards home ownership.

Similarly, the Deposit Payment Scheme, where government covers the initial 10% deposit required for purchasing a property, supported 80 families, with government investing more than €2 million. Although smaller in numbers, this initiative provides crucial assistance at one of the initial stages for first-time buyers to become new owners of their new home.

Affordable housing, however, is not solely about purchasing property. Rental support continues to play a critical role in protecting vulnerable families and promoting social mobility. The largest government investment during 2025 was allocated to the Pre-1995 Rent Subsidy Scheme, which supported 2,002 families at a cost exceeding €10.6 million. At the same time, the Housing Benefit Scheme assisted almost 4,000 families, with government expenditure exceeding €10 million. Another important measure remains the Grant on First Residence, which helped 327 families, representing an investment of more than €1 million.

These figures are encouraging because they demonstrate that housing policy is becoming increasingly diverse, offering different solutions tailored to different circumstances which align with ongoing changes in societal dynamics. Social mobility requires exactly this kind of targeted approach. Families are not all facing the same challenges, and therefore support must remain flexible, responsive and equitable.

Housing Authority’ Chief Executive Officer Matthew Zerafa explained that these positive results were not achieved by chance. Over the past year, considerable efforts have been made to simplify application procedures and make schemes more accessible. Digital tools now allow applicants to calculate which schemes they qualify for based on their income, age and family composition, while trained officials continue to provide personalised support through Housing Authority offices in Floriana and Gozo. Simplifying bureaucracy is itself an important element of social mobility because people should never be prevented from accessing assistance simply because the process is too complicated.

Minister Owen Bonnici also reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening housing affordability, stating that the objective remains to continue improving schemes that make housing more accessible. Seeing more than 15,000 families benefit from these initiatives provides encouragement that these policies are making a real difference in people’s lives.

Nevertheless, the work does not stop here. Housing affordability continues to present significant challenges for many young people, single parents, older persons and low-income households. Parliament has an essential role in ensuring that these schemes continue evolving to meet changing social realities.

Social mobility is ultimately about creating opportunity, dignity and hope. A secure home provides the stability from which people can pursue education, build careers, raise families and contribute to society. That is why investment in affordable and social housing is not simply expenditure, but it is an investment in people's futures.

As legislators, our responsibility is not only to celebrate positive results but also to continue asking the right questions, monitoring implementation and ensuring that every euro invested delivers meaningful outcomes. By doing so, we help build a society where opportunity is determined not by circumstance, but by potential, and where everyone has a fair chance to move forward.