Can enough people afford a home?

People in our country are thankfully spared from seeing eyesores like the shanty-towns that are so conspicuous on the outskirts of many cities. On the contrary, a drive along some of our main roads offers a panorama of pleasant façades and elegant homes.

Yet, it may come as a surprise to some that the number of families living in a decent home of their own is relatively low. In fact, a good number of them in our towns and villages are still living in sub-standard dwellings, invariably rented at an inferior price. At the same time, for many households the possibility of owning a house or flat is but a distant dream.

Why is this still the case in 2003 when so much industrial and social progress has been made?

Since the reconstruction of many buildings that were either destroyed or damaged during the Second World War, ground rents have been on the increase.

Buildings have become more and more expensive and their cost is becoming prohibitive to people with a low or even average income.

This cruel reality has had a hard-hitting effect on our families and engaged couples. Indeed, one often meets couples who are still unable to start a family because they cannot afford to pay for a flat or small dwelling, while others feel compelled to take out large loans which they cannot afford to repay.

Such a predicament has been deplored by the Pope, who described it as one of the sad consequences of urbanisation and industrial change.

There has, in recent decades, been some improvement both in the housing supply and the standard of existing stock. Besides the construction of new buildings which has been underway, there has been a process of modernisation together with the rehabilitation of old dwellings; that is, when the permit of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority has been within reach.

In spite of all this, however, the housing problem in Malta and Gozo has reached such proportions that it has become a cause for concern.

According to figures published by the National Statistics Office, almost 30 per cent of all dwellings in Malta and Gozo do not belong to their occupier. It was estimated that 100,319 dwellings (70.1 per cent) are owner occupied, 33,730 (23.6 per cent) are rented unfurnished, while 3,699 dwellings (2.6 per cent) are rented furnished. However, these statistics do not cover those who are still searching for a place to live.

Meanwhile, the concept of shared ownership is gradually gaining ground, especially in the case of couples who are planning to get married.

Since the times of Pope Leo XIII, who died a century ago, one of the principles laid down by the Catholic social doctrine has been the diffusion or spreading of ownership.

As a start, we should aim at ensuring that families can own their homes as opposed to renting them. Some attempts in this direction were made by the local Church, before the Devolution Act of 1993, when it still had vast ownership of landed property.

Experimental housing schemes were set up and plots within building sites were offered to families at moderate prices to be paid by instalments over a long-term period.

But, in addition to other adverse social and economic conditions, the government has not created a favourable environment to make it possible for enough people to buy their own homes.

It should not be forgotten that the Church transferred an amount of land and property to the government on condition that they are used for social purposes.

With this in mind, the Housing Authority should, with government backing, make a concerted effort to ensure that more people are provided with homes on equitable terms.