COVID restrictions caused spike in calls for assistance because of homelessness

Social distancing measures during the pandemic contributed to an increase in people seeking assistance for homelessness, Foundation for Social Welfare Services CEO Alfred Grixit said.

“Safety measures which were imposed to keep everyone safe meant that shelters were functioning at least at half of their capacity,” Grixti told MaltaToday.

Figures tabled in parliament recently showed that genuine calls for assistance on the 179-helpline related to homelessness experienced a sharp increase from 376 in 2019, to 645 in 2020.

While numbers had been increasing gradually from 2013, calls during the pandemic year increased by around 71% from the previous year.

Grixti said homeless shelters do not generally have single rooms but mostly offer accommodation for two people sharing a room. “When they had to keep to one person per room in order to keep safe distance rules, they were operating at 50% of their capacity.”

Added to that, according to Grixti, there were about 100 social cases in Mater Dei and Mount Carmel hospitals who had to be relocated and so became homeless.

“This issue was solved by the adaptation of the Gozo night shelter at Dar Padova into a homeless shelter during the peak months of the pandemic,” he said.

He also said the FSWS has been monitoring the reasons people are seeking assistance for homelessness for the past decade, saying the causes have remained unchanged.

“The main reasons which lead to homelessness are low income, higher rent prices, loss of employment, family disagreement and family breakdown,” Grixti said. “Now the main factors leading to homelessness are financial problems, which account for 26.6% of the homeless cohort in 2022. 19.3% of the people who sought us for help in 2022 were people who had lost their employment and ended up homeless.”

Is the country’s welfare system overwhelmed?

Grixti said the FSWS has tried to remain ahead of the curve to ensure it does it best to cater for society’s ever evolving needs.

“In 2012 the Foundation employed 375 people, today we employ 973. Then, we had a budget of €7,735,000 while this year we have €35,280,000. Over the last 10 years we have expanded our services on all fronts,” he said. “We have kept abreast of the needs of society as they evolve and develop. We do not only get the funding because the money is there, but we get it because we make strong business cases during the negotiations on the national budget and because we deliver.”

He said there is a dedicated team within the FSWS who are tasked with tackling homelessness.

Foundation for Social Welfare Services CEO Alfred Grixti (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

“This team works closely with the NGOs with whom we have Public Social Partnerships (PSPs) with to provide places for homeless people,” he said. “Our team has also worked to make referrals easier and more streamlined and has developed a common referral form which is common for all shelters and is used with all of them. This also makes follow-up easier.”

Grixti said the FSWS has purchased five shell-form apartments in Gozo to repurpose them as a homeless shelter. Upon completion of renovations, the shelter will offer a new concept, with each three-bedroom apartment accommodating one person per room, totalling 15 beds. This arrangement aims to enhance privacy and dignity for occupants, while also providing flexibility for self-isolation if needed, such as during common illnesses like the annual cold.

Additionally, Grixti emphasised that the facility will adopt an innovative co-management approach, with the FSWS owning the property while a local NGO oversees operations. Social work support for homeless individuals in Gozo will be provided by the FSWS.