Three in every four applicants for social housing are women, according to a profiling exercise conducted by the authorities. The profile shows that two in every three applicants are single parents, the bulk of whom are women.
The Housing Authority conducted an analysis of the people most likely to require social accommodation in a bid to draft policies and programmes to meet their needs.
No fewer than 1,700 single mothers were waiting for housing last year as they found themselves without a roof over their heads. The authorities have highlighted this group as among the most vulnerable and in need of tailor-made assistance.
A spokesman for Social Housing Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said the authorities had been busy coming up with initiatives that focused on the challenges posed by family breakups.
“The main scope of the profiling was to assist the Housing Authority in identifying the needs and requirements of those seeking its assistance. As a result, the Parliamentary Secretariat can be in an informed position to launch research-based effective policies through a holistic approach,” the spokesman said in reply to questions by Times of Malta.
Identifying the needs and requirements of those seeking its assistance
The profiling exercise was first commissioned by President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca in 2014 when she was social policy minister. Since then, it has been regularly updated to better inform policymakers.
Mr Galdes’s spokesman said the profiling exercise led to the formulation of policies and initiatives that specifically targeted different levels of society. For instance, challenges posed by family breakdowns had been targeted by the Equity Sharing scheme, which specifically helps those aged 40 and over and assists them in securing a home loan.
Low-income families unable to access a home loan had also been targeted by other affordable loan schemes, while those renting from the private sector could benefit from a strengthened rent subsidy that took into consideration their income, the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the government spokesman said the administration was pushing ahead with its “ambitious” plan to increase social housing units by 1,700. The government was also working on the first affordable housing projects in Malta.
The low delivery of social accommodation has been one of the more criticised shortcomings of the Labour administration.