A hands-on helping hand to people who need it

It goes without saying that people in the lowest income bracket are the most vulnerable. And I mean the real poor, not the ones who are officially hard up but who lard their pockets on the side again with blatant impunity, which speaks volumes of both individual ingenuity and the soft underbelly or cracked foundation of laws and regulations.

Who are these near beggars? Top of the list are women suffering domestic violence who, apart from living in continuous fear, are humiliated into living from day to day in emergency accommodation, while their violent, abusive husbands continue to enjoy the comfort of what is supposed to be a contented, if not happy, conjugal home.

The protective arm of the law has shamefully not reached them yet. But there are also persons battling a long history of chronic depression and other types of mental illness, frail and ailing elderly living alone and single mothers struggling to bring up children on the bare minimum of social benefits.

Whitewashing, basic electrical and plumbing repairs, controlling damp, water-proofing, and all that it takes to keep a dwelling in one piece, rarely feature in their tough and painful lives. It's not difficult to see why. These unexciting tasks (but so necessary to live in a comfortable and welcoming home) either loom as an excruciating hurdle or fizzle out in a web of dejection, apathy or unawareness that a helping hand exists.

Reaching out to these vulnerable people has led the Housing Authority to team up with Agenzija Appogg and the Department for Social Accommodation to devise a financial and support package known as 'Care and Repair'.

This programme is based on a grant in the form of paying the bills when they fall due after the repairs have been carried out. More significantly it goes beyond material help because it has been holistically planned to cut down on red tape, counter any gaps in the welfare system, and offer a one-stop personalised service.

Joe Gerada, chief executive officer at Agenzija Appogg points out: "People will be eligible only if they have a social worker who would have worked with the family for some time and makes the recommendation that the family in question needs support. Then the Housing Authority will act upon the report after they visit the place and see for themselves what needs to be done."

Once the go-ahead is given, the client will have all forms filled in for him or her. A simple task, which is anything but simple for people under stress. The clients are also helped in contacting the contractors involved. The big plus of 'Care and Repair' is that apart from improving their quality of life, needy people "continue to receive support from the social worker, Housing Authority personnel and Appogg personnel working together in an integrated fashion."

This 100 per cent governmental initiative has already gone through a six-month trial period during which 45 cases were considered and 18 approved. 'Care and Repair' clearly targets people who are in need of carrying out house repairs and who would otherwise not apply to the authorities for help. Therefore, all people who make use of a social worker and are in need may apply for the scheme. The programme is also open to people with special needs.

The latest in a series of welfare packages, 'Care and Repair' is pivoted on a simple and smooth hands-on approach in the full awareness that housing problems are just a fraction of a bigger, more complex picture of inter-linked health and domestic problems.

It also points to a grim reality that will only get worse if ignored - or merely treated with the coldness of compiling statistics.