Carlos Buttigieg was 12 when his father died and, having no one else to live with, he moved into the residential home for boys, which he had to leave when he turned 16. That is the day he became homeless.

I panicked when the time came to leave prison. I had nowhere to go

Since then, Mr Buttigieg, now 18, has been struggling to keep a roof over his head and bounces from one job to another, trying to live independently.

But with no support structure to fall back on, the young man has sought shelter at Dar Patri Leopoldo, a Gżira home for men, for the fourth time.

He was renting an apartment but could no longer cope with the expenses when he lost his job. Now he is looking for employment and trying to get back on his feet.

“I want to build an independent life. I don’t want my child to pass through what I did,” he said, revealing his girlfriend is pregnant.

Tarcisio Agius, 60, also lives at the home.

But his is a different story. He lost everything when he ended up behind bars for a year after running a brothel – a crime that cost him his family and home.

“I panicked when the time came to leave prison. I had nowhere to go. Better to stay inside and be safe, than go out…

“In my teens I lived in Canada and saw homeless people begging in the streets.

“In Malta we have homeless people too. I ended up homeless because of the situation I found myself in. I had a home, a wife and a daughter. Now I have nothing,” he said.

Charles Mifsud, who manages Dar Patri Leopoldo, feels that homelessness is not being given the attention it deserves.

It is often overshadowed by other problems, such as drug addiction and gambling.

The authorities focus on helping people deal with the primary issues without pre-empting and tackling the obvious result.

“Nearly all social problems have the homeless issue buried beneath them.

“A female victim of domestic violence who speaks up is treated for that problem but, what about the homelessness?

The second she leaves, she is homeless,” he explained.

“There are many people who sleep indoors but risk becoming roofless,” Mr Mifsud added.

Dar Patri Leopoldo aims to help homeless people tackle the issues that led to their situation.

Residents are assisted by a team of volunteers, which includes trained social workers and psychologists.

“The home tries to install three main values: self respect, responsibility and discipline. They are taught that in life they can’t just do what they want if they are to lift themselves out of their situation,” Mr Mifsud said.

During their stay they were given responsibilities they would have in any normal household, such as cleaning and cooking.

Fr Franco Fenech, chaplain at the Corradino Correctional Facility and spiritual director at the home, said inmates who left prison often lost their sense of identity. The home helped them rebuild it.

“Society looks at them as parasites and sometimes they start believing it…

“We need to realise that these are people in need of help. Many deal with a strong sense of guilt. This can break them,” he said.

Mr Agius could relate to this.

“I felt that a lot. When in prison I was upset that I could not help my wife and daughter and left them to fend for themselves,” he said.

Inside the home he slowly picked himself up and accepted his situation.

“I know that when I go out there I will be able to be independent and apply what I learnt,” he said.