Help pours in for refugee family forced to sleep in van
Family of seven moved into temporary accommodation after four nights sleeping rough
Updated 8.47pm
After spending four days sleeping rough, a family of seven will spend tonight under a roof as help poured in following the publication of their story.
The Libyan refugee family will spend the night in an apartment in Buġibba, being offered by government support agency Appoġġ’s service for the homeless, which will then help them find a more permanent home.
The agency had been in contact with the family on Wednesday evening and managed to secure a place for the family today.
Following the publication of their story, offers of help poured into the Times of Malta newsroom. Charities, homeless shelters, the Church, NGOs, individuals and even a private hospital all came forward, including organisations offering assistance for the family's young daughter, who requires medical care.
The Imam Mohammed Elsadi asked people to donate money to support the family as he shared the Times of Malta story.
On Thursday evening, the Chargé d'Affairs of the Libyan Embassy Mohamed Il Sharif said the Libyan Embassy will secure the rent of an apartment for the family "for at least six months or more".
The announcement was made by the Imam on his Facebook page as he thanked the public for their "generosity to help the family in need".
The family found themselves trapped between expired paperwork and unaffordable rents which forced them to sleep in their van amid soaring temperatures.
They have been living in Malta for the past nine years after being granted refugee status.
However, they were left homeless when they returned from Tunisia where their daughter was receiving medical treatment after their Maltese identity cards had expired.
They were issued temporary permits allowing them to return to Malta and a friend helped to pay for their journey back but, with no home to return to, they found themselves sleeping in their van.
The father, Adel, cannot currently work because he does not have valid documents. The family have an appointment next Tuesday to renew their refugee documents, after which they can apply for new identity cards.
But first they need a fixed address. "We are trapped. I need an address to be able to apply and without the ID card I cannot work and do anything," he says.
The Malta Islamic Welfare Fund is accepting donations on behalf of the family.