Adequate housing solutions for families in need should not only depend on new buildings. Regeneration and restoration are key means chosen by the Government to strengthen the supply of housing.
Minister for Social Accommodation Roderick Galdes said this during a house visit in Qormi in one of 24 properties that have so far benefited from the scheme for the Rehabilitation of Vacant Dwellings for Rent.
Years ago, the reality of many vacant properties scattered across the country was wasteful and damaging, especially for the environment. Hence, in the words of Minister Galdes, a solution had to be found to remove the obstacles met by the owners, which obstacles are often related to the high costs that restoration entails.
Through the scheme for the Rehabilitation of Vacant Dwellings for Rent, the Housing Authority offers up to €25,000 to vacant dwelling homeowners for the necessary restoration. The Housing Authority rents the same property to families who qualify for social housing and the property owner receives an agreed rent from the Housing Authority for 10 years.
The owner of the house in Qormi explained how thanks to the scheme offered by the Housing Authority he was able to render up to standard the dwelling house that for the last years was in an abandoned state and will now be habitable again. “Had it not been for this scheme, certain works I did would not have been possible.”
Minister Galdes claimed that at the heart of such measures are not buildings but people. “Through restoration we are providing an adequate home for families in need of a decent accommodation and creating new solutions for their needs.”
“This scheme has so far been the solution for 24 families in need of shelter,” concluded Minister Roderick Galdes.
At the heart of the policy adopted by the Housing Authority are adequate accommodation solutions for real life stories of people and families around us. The Housing Authority’s CEO, Leonid Mckay, explained how mobility problems and mental health challenges among others, are changing the lives of individuals and families, overnight.
“The existing needs which are leading people to turn to the Housing Authority for alternative housing, are being addressed in various ways and not just through construction,” said Leonid Mckay. He listed a number of initiatives taken by the Housing Authority, from loan assistance to benefits, with the main priority being the rehabilitation of derelict property to increase solutions.
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