Church 'is not coping financially'

Three women victims of domestic violence, together with their children, cannot be housed at a Church shelter because another two families, who have completed their therapy, have nowhere else to go.

Mgr Victor Zammit McKeon, director of the central office of children's homes, highlighted the problem during an intervention at the launch of national standards and policies for out-of-home child care at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, yesterday.

He was stressing the fact that the Church was completely "stuck" in terms of finances, listing a home for the elderly that had closed down and another that was unable to admit more residents as well as the winding up of its media arm.

"The Church is not coping financially," he said. "Before, we used to rely on members of religious orders but now we have to employ lay people and pay them."

The three families have been referred to Progamm Sebħ, the second-stage shelter at Dar Qalb ta' Ġesu, but no space is available.

It could only cater for nine mothers and their children and it was full, he said, despite the fact that the women responded well to the therapy and could move on to alternative accommodation.

Mgr Zammit McKeon also appealed for a solution for children who were in institutions "for nothing", only because their mothers needed to go out to work.