Storm Harry forced the homeless to seek refuge in lifts, garages

As Storm Harry battered the Maltese Islands with gusts of over 100km/h, the authorities urged residents to remain indoors for their safety. But for the homeless, seeking refuge meant improvising in the literal eye of the storm.

According to YMCA Malta, around 56 people with no fixed residence were left without shelter due to overcrowded facilities, as the storm raged on. In a social media story, the organisation shared a photo showing a man sleeping rough inside a lift in a building in Paola.

The man is seen lying in the foetal position on a dirty lift floor, his back against the door. He uses a supermarket bag containing his belongings as a pillow and wearing only the clothes on his back for warmth.

The image was captioned: “When a storm hits where is your refuge?”

It was published as Storm Harry brought ferry crossings between Malta, Gozo and Sicily to a halt, diverted flights, and caused widespread damage across the country. Hundreds of trees were uprooted, shopfronts along the coast were destroyed, and Malta’s wastewater infrastructure sustained serious damage. In Marsascala alone, the cleaning and maintenance division collected 25 truckloads of debris.

Storms pass. Homelessness doesn’t. But our response to both should be equally urgent- Anthony Camilleri, YMCA

Speaking to Times of Malta, YMCA Malta CEO Anthony Camilleri said the footage was captured during the storm by one of the NGO’s volunteers. He confirmed that the man in the video is still roofless and continues to seek shelter.

“Shelters are all full, so all roofless people had to seek alternatives for shelter,” he said.

Camilleri said others took refuge in garages left open, the Portes-des-bombes underpass in Floriana, and abandoned buildings.

“The reality is that they had no option. We are constantly full,” Camilleri said.

“Storms pass. Homelessness doesn’t. But our response to both should be equally urgent,” he said, urging authorities and communities to support a low-threshold emergency shelter during severe conditions.

'Preventing harm when risk is forseeable'

Camilleri said that drop-in centres could offer temporary overnight refuge “when sleeping rough becomes life-threatening”, emphasising that this is not about long-term solutions but “preventing harm when risk is foreseeable”. He appealed for public entities, businesses, faith groups and communities to work togethe

YMCA has a maximum capacity of 52 residents. But in 2025 alone, the organisation received 405 case referrals, only 113 of whom were able to get accommodation.

Although that figure is lower than the 453 cases recorded in 2024, the NGO said it still meant that only around one in four people referred to them last year were given accommodation.

Of those 405 referrals, 205 were Maltese nationals and 194 were foreigners. The nationality of the remaining six could not be verified. Forty-eight of the referrals were minors, while 22 were 64 years old or older.

YMCA said that in 2025, 15 minors lived in their accommodation. These included 10 children in primary school, four in secondary, and one in tertiary education.

Camilleri said that the leading causes among those seeking help from YMCA in 2025 were financial difficulties, substance abuse, and the end of prison sentences. He noted this marked a shift from previous years, where family issues and domestic violence were more prevalent.

He added that from a community outreach perspective, the organisation also supported an average of 60 daily walk-ins supported through social work intervention to gain access to showers, lockers, the internet and computer facilities.

The YMCA said that in 2025, they encountered a total of 550 cases in the community, which includes cases of homeless, roofless and people living under the poverty line.