Only 136 people slept at the Fondazzjoni Dar il-Hena's three emergency shelters throughout 2020, as COVID-19 restrictions forced the centres to host a reduced number of people. 

The figure is even lower than that registered in 2017, when the foundation's first emergency shelter, Dar Papa Franġisku, opened its doors.

That year, 241 people had sought shelter, with the number increasing to 391 in 2018. The following year 358 people slept at one of the emergency shelters. 

Over the past four years, 1,126 people found temporary shelter at the centres, according to a report launched on Monday.

Figures showing how many people used a bed service in an emergency shelter between 2017-2020 Graphic: Fondazzjoni Dar Il-Hena

“In 2020, the pandemic hit the shelters hard, with services having to adjust to restrictions and protocols, ultimately leading to a decrease in the number of people finding shelter at the centres,” Caritas Malta director Anthony Gatt told Times of Malta.

Fondazzjoni Dar il-Hena is a collaboration between Caritas Malta, the Family Ministry and the Alfred Mizzi Foundation.

It runs three shelters, two of which - Dar Papa Franġisku and Dar Maria Dolores - are emergency shelters. A third one, called Reach, is a long-term residential shelter.

All three provide free meals and also offer temporary housing.

“Despite the decrease in people sleeping at the shelters last year, there was increased demand for free lunches as COVID-19 cases spiked last year," Gatt added.

The number of people who received free meals was similar to that of 2019: 515 service users were fed by the shelters last year, compared to 585 the previous year.

Addressing a press conference about the shelters on Monday, Family Minister Michael Falzon said emergency shelters did not only support homeless people and those who needed food, but also people suffering from solitude.

Alfred Mizzi Foundation chair person Julian Sammut (left), Family Minister Michael Falzon (centre) and Caritas Malta director Anthony Gatt (right) during Monday's press conference Photo: Jonathan Borg

Support in numbers

• 39 was the average age of people receiving free meals
• 77 per cent were men, while four per cent children
• The average age of those sleeping at the shelters was 34 
• Pre-COVID-19, 70 per cent of referrals were foreign and 30 per cent Maltese