The right to an adequate home is universal and fundamental to human living. This emerged from an international conference hosted by Minister for Social Housing Roderick Galdes and MEP Alex Agius Saliba.
Minister Galdes said that the policy that Malta is implementing in this area does not stop with the provision of a roof but seeks to ensure a home for all which he described as a space that allows the development of the family to be of whatever shape it is. The commitment to have a home for all, stressed Minister Galdes, requires a system that thinks of emergency solutions, an adequate stock of social housing, affordable housing and other specialized services.
“A crucial pillar for us is for the state to intervene and address wherever the market fails and leave families without housing alternatives,” said Minister Roderick Galdes. The conference was attended by the European Commissioner for Social Rights and Labor Nicolas Schmit.
The conference is taking place days after Malta signed the Lisbon Declaration which established a European platform to combat the condition of the homeless.
MEP Alex Agius Saliba said that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their families. On a local basis, Dr Agius Saliba reiterated that with a Housing Authority more open to the people and through initiatives made in recent years, in our country today we have a sector that is alive and that is making a difference in people’s lives. Above all, with the government’s investment in building more than 1,700 units of social housing, for the first time in many years, we are seeing the State take an important step forward in expectation continues to decline.
“But even on a European basis, as socialists and democrats we must continue to work to reduce poverty as much as possible so that everyone has a roof over their heads. Committed that together with the Maltese Government, as MEPs I will continue to work to achieve more best practices in order to continue to improve this sector which has already made a great leap forward in the last few years.
The conference was also addressed by the President of the Group of the Socialists and Democrats Iratxe Garcia Perez and the Vice President Pedro Marques. During the same conference, the topic of homelessness was discussed, a reality that has increased by 70% over the last decade across Europe. The discussion was shaped by the speeches of S & D negotiator Estrella Dura-Ferrandis, Member of the European Parliament, on the European Parliament’s report on access to decent and affordable housing for all, Housing Europe Secretary General Sorcha Edwards with the Maltese anthropologist Dr Rachael Scicluna and the Chief Executive of the Housing Authority Leonid Mckay.
The financing of the accommodation was also discussed with the involvement of the representative of the city of Vienna Michaela Kauer, Dr Kurt Xerri from the University of Malta and Mr Joseph Darmanin from the Malta Development Bank.
Photos (DOI / MSA)
