Paceville’s Millennium Chapel has been “flooded” with individuals and companies offering to help the people sleeping rough on the locality’s streets.

Fr Hilary Tagliaferro, the founder of the charity, said it had been inundated with support after Times of Malta revealed the scale of the problem.

“The reaction to the article has been very positive and various companies and individuals have reached out wanting to help,” he said.

“Up until Friday morning, we have been flooded with people reaching out to help.”

People have been offering to volunteer or give donations after a community worker from the Millennium Chapel said about 40 to 50 people are sleeping on the streets of Malta’s nightlife capital.

The charity is also meeting with two companies, which offered help. He said the chapel will contact all those who got in touch to see how people can be of assistance.

Earlier this week, Times of Malta spoke to one man who has been sleeping under a tree for the past month and shares the space with three others.

A man sleeping rough on a central strip in Paceville. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Before ending up homeless, the 32-year-old from Somalia said he was renting a property in Gżira and worked until an accident left him with a broken neck and in hospital for months. He lost his job and his home.

The Millennium Chapel is open every day from 8am to 11pm. It offers a clothes bank and food bank and provides bread rolls and hot drinks to those who need them.

Fr Hilary said currently around 30 people show up at the chapel daily. He noted that they are usually the same individuals.

On social media, many people shared the Times of Malta article, with some asking how they can help. 

“I would like to take supplies and maybe help if I can,” one person said.

“If anyone is collecting for them and knows if there’s anything in particular they need, let us know. Some people would like to help and not everyone is ready to kick them whilst they are down,” another added.

The Millennium Chapel community worker said those coming to them for assistance were from various nationalities, with different reasons for ending up on the streets.

He added that the problem was not confined to Paceville but was “a Malta problem”.