LGBTIQ people who are forced out of their homes and asylum seekers who suffer discrimination in open centres based on their gender or sexual orientation will be able to find solace in a new shelter that is expected to be opened by the end of April 2024.

The new shelter - Dar Qawsalla (Rainbow Home) - is part of the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM)'s efforts to support more people within the LGBTIQ community who are "often more susceptible to mental health problems and other forms of discrimination because of negative messages levelled at them".

The initiative was announced by MGRM and the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) along with Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon on Wednesday.

The three signed an agreement which will see the government handing MGRM €270,000 over a span of three years to open the homeless shelter and continue to offer services to LGBTIQ people and their families.

They signed a renewed agreement which will see the government handing MGRM €270,000 over a span of three years. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Colette Farrugia Bennett - who is a social worker and family therapist at Rainbow Support Service and MGRM - said homelessness continued to be a harsh reality for LGBTIQ people, most of whom struggle to find shelter when their parents, who disapprove of their gender identity or sexual orientation, kick them out of the house.

"Relatives sometimes even stop their children from receiving the services they need - like trans healthcare - because they don't accept them," she said.

"Another reality is LGBTIQ asylum seekers, who often flee their countries because of gender-based or sexual orientation discrimination, only to end up in open centres where their peers come from the same culture, making their environment unsafe."

Farrugia Bennett said the new shelter project was being coordinated with the Housing Ministry and would serve as a type of semi-independent housing. 

Colette Farrugia Bennett is a social worker and family therapist at Rainbow Support Service and MGRM. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The signing of the agreement on Wednesday was tucked into a jam-packed week of events as part of the 10-day EuroPride 2023, which started last Thursday and is expected to culminate this weekend.

Minister Falzon said although the signing of the agreement formed part of the EuroPride events, it was a renewed commitment that the government has shown for 10 years.

"Our country used to be among the last when it comes to civil rights, however, today we take pride in knowing it is at the forefront," he said.

Minister Michael Falzon said the agreement is a renewed commitment that the government has been showing for the past 10 years. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Farrugia Bennett meanwhile noted the funds will also help MGRM with its other services.

"As we mark Rainbow Support Services' 10th anniversary this year, we are celebrating ever-growing requests for help, not just from people in the LGBTIQ community, but also from their parents," she said.

"We celebrate this because it means societal awareness has improved a lot, thanks to many organisations and the government."

A stream of extremely negative and harmful messages, however, continued to be levelled at LGBTIQ people, she said. This was causing what is known as 'minority stress' which harms young people, especially those who have trouble coming to terms with their gender identity or sexual orientation or who are afraid to speak about it with their families.

"The LGBTIQ community is still more susceptible to mental health problems because of minority stress," she said.

The funding will help the organisation open a homeless shelter and continue to offer services to LGBTIQ people and their families. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

FSWS CEO Alfred Grixti said this agreement was anything but lip service to the cause of the LGBTIQ community, and complemented two other initiatives by the foundation - the gender well-being clinic and the almost-completed LGBTIQ hub.

"We are renewing this public-social partnership because we believe in the cause," he said. "We are also an equal opportunities employer - there is no glass ceiling for people of any gender or sexual orientation at FSWS."