Social housing waiting list: most applicants are women, single parents

Three out of every four applicants on the waiting-list for the government’s housing scheme are women, a profiling exercise adopted by the Housing Authority has revealed.

The results of this exercise, published today, found that women accounted for 75% of all social housing applicants, while 63.5% of the sample pool were single parents.

The data will be used as a guide for future policy-making in social housing.

Nearly 60% of respondents said they would consider buying their own property if given some form of government help.

Many applicants also reported challenges when taking a bank loan to buy a property. Almost 27% said that the initial deposit on the loan was an issue, while 16.1% said they would struggle with the monthly payment.

Interestingly, over 60% said they would consider a form of alternative housing complex, similar to a hostel managed by the Housing Authority, whereby a private entrance and required necessities would be provided in full, while still guaranteeing affordable rent.

Housing Authority CEO Leonid McKay remarked that 100 social housing applicants had withdrawn their application after managing to buy their own property.

“These applicants don’t live in a vacuum,” he said. “The challenge lies in offering social accommodation, while also offering other solutions. We must strive to really understand the needs of persons, what they expect from government, and make sure that those who do not need social housing are removed from the waiting list.”

A salient point raised in the report was that individuals applying for social housing are often going through some sort of transition, such as a separation or divorce, or pregnancy. 

One applicant mentioned that, instead of receiving a maintenance payment from the father of her children, he allows her to stay in his residence.

These in turn create difficulties in finding long-term employment.

A majority of applicants to the social housing scheme hail from the Southern and Northern Harbour districts. While the Southern Harbour houses 17.5% of Malta’s population, almost a third of applicants are currently living in that district.

On the other hand, the northern harbour houses 29.6% of social housing applicants and 31.2% of the total Maltese population. 

Two-fifths of respondents said that they were unemployed, while 30% were in full-time employment.

Half of the applicants currently rent their residence, while 26% were living in a shared residence without rent.

Sustainable income was a key concern among participants. The average applicant’s full-time income amounts to €872, or €438 among those in part-time employment, while the average rental fee paid by applicants was €251.9. One respondent remarked that it was difficult paying monthly rent at €580 per month while taking care of six children.

A quarter of applicants said that they were paying between €0-50 per month, while 12% reported paying between €251-300.

When asked about what they feel a fair rental payment would be for them, the general consensus was that respondents could mostly afford €178 per month.

Across unemployed applicants, 26% reported that they are unable to find work because they need to take care of their children. The second most popular reason was health concerns, at 16% of unemployed applicants.