A woman and her 18 pets have been saved from homelessness after a stranger saw a social media appeal and offered her a place to stay.

Elizabeth Vassallo had to leave her Buġibba home of ten years after her landlord increased her rent from €400 a month to at least €600.

The 35-year-old was unable to afford the new rent, leaving her and her seven rabbits, three dogs, eight cats and numerous birds facing homelessness.

Her case was taken up by Karmen Coleiro, who runs a cat shelter and was alerted to Ms Vassallo’s case by the social welfare, Appoġġ who were attempting to rehome her animals.

Ms Coleiro shared the story on her Facebook page, asking for help and a man responded, offering to let her stay in an old house in Birkirkarra at a price within the woman’s budget.

Elizabeth Vassallo told Times of Malta she was relieved and extremely grateful for the man’s kindness.

The house used to belong to the man’s parents and needs a lot of cleaning and maintenance since it has been closed up for many years, Ms Vassallo explained.

“It will be a lot of work and a big change for the animals and me. But I’m thankful I get to keep them.”

Elizabeth Vassallo with one of her three dogs

The landlord claimed that Ms Vassallo had been unable to pay the rent since September 2018, when the price of the apartment increased. Going to court was the only solution, she added.

The eviction date settled on by court had come around last week and at that point Ms Vassallo still had nowhere to go..

“I am the kind of person who will go without food and clothes in order to feed my animals, " she said.

"I have been looking for places but I can’t find anything for €500, which is my budget."

She said she had been left unable to work after a choking incident and that others were helping her out.

Ms Coleiro, a woman helping Ms Vassallo out, expressed deep frustration about the situation. 

“This shouldn’t happen within our society. We talk about mental health but some people’s circumstances really push them over the edge,” she said.

“Of course I felt I needed to help her as well as her animals when I heard her story,” Ms Coleiro said.

Ms Vassallo’s mother and sister both live in homeless shelters and her father suffered a stroke four months ago. 

She had been offered a place in a homeless shelter in Gozo. However, that meant losing her pets and being relocated away from her family and friends.