Minister for Social Accommodation Roderick Galdes visited the new social housing site in Tas-Sisla, Birkirkara, which entered its final phase as installation of services and finishes commenced. The 3,000-square-meter site includes six blocks with 73 apartments and 56 garages, being built with an investment exceeding €4.3 million.
Minister Roderick Galdes said that this unprecedented investment is a testament to the government’s listening to the pleads of the poor and marginalised, which before 2013 were being side-lined, pleads for an adequate home where one can live a dignified life.
“We have heard this plead and today we are proud to announce that the unprecedented investment we are making in the housing sector, the largest investment in 40 years, is beginning to bear fruit and we are seeing another project entering its final phase”.
He added that he meets and talks with applicants for social housing daily and understands their needs. He reiterated that for some these apartments have no value but for these families, it means hope for a better life, a hope for a better tomorrow.
“We are committed that the future social housing model will be one where we do not invest only in stone, we do not give only four walls or an apartment key but we give holistic and social support to the tenants of these blocks before and after the allocation”.
He concluded that a Labour Government is fully honouring the legacy of the Labour governments of the seventies and eighties which were crucial for the social mobility of hundreds and thousands of Maltese and Gozitans who were trapped in poverty and social exclusion.
“Our work will not stop here; we will not rely on our achievements. We are in the second phase of preparations for Malta to have the first national housing system that will incorporate a long-term vision that thinks of everyone”.
Chief Executive Officer of the Housing Authority Leonid McKay reiterated that, “As a Housing Authority we are satisfied that these new social housing projects are one step closer to being allocated to families who cannot move forward without them. As an authority we are currently revising the social housing allocation policy so that it reflects the social needs of the day and to ensure the sustainability of this stock. As soon as these apartments are allocated to families who are genuinely in need, we will be really and truly making a tangible difference in the lives of individuals from all walks of life”.