New housing schemes on the way

The Housing Authority will be introducing a new scheme catering for government blocks, their common parts and the community.

The authority is an agency of change and strives to make a difference in the lives of others and in maintaining clear community visions where social inclusion is a priority.

Its interest is in strengthening the local community infrastructure and in accommodating the desire and need for local knowledge, local governance and local connectedness.

This scheme of common parts maintenance will be introduced together with a regeneration scheme that will focus on improving the environment around the blocks and a number of educational programmes planned with local councils. The regeneration scheme will be explained in more detail shortly. For now, it will focus on explaining the purpose and structure of a scheme about the maintenance of common parts.

All councils had the possibility to apply for this scheme if interested and if they had housing blocks in their locality. The councils were then assessed according to a point scheme based on different criteria about the various projects.

What is the scheme about?

The authority, together with a number of local councils, has launched programmes for the maintenance of common parts in residential government blocks.

This programme is spread over six years with an annual budget of €1 million. Every year, the Housing Authority is planning to cater for the maintenance of about 200 buildings.

The sum allotted to this year’s works amounts to €675,000 in different localities and every council can benefit to a maximum of €75,000.

Works involved in this particular scheme include wooden doors, entrance and corridors, waterproofing/spalling, works on staircase aluminum, tiling, painting of walls in common parts, shaft maintenance, space under the staircase, environmental measures, such as energy-saving electrical systems, works on the sewage system, rendering of facades, and works on roof screeds and parapet walls, among others.

What is the aim?

The main aim of this programme is to continue to strengthen and improve the environment for families: children and elderly to assure the safest and cleanest environment possible; to create a mentality whereby the citizen feels more integrated within the block and also in decision-making with its responsibilities and benefits.

How does it work?

The Housing Authority contacts the councils concerned to provide the relevant information about how the scheme will be processed. The local council then provides its propositions in writing. Each proposition will be made by a designed architect who will structure what types of work will be started in specifically assigned blocks.

Every housing block in the participant councils will assign a representative and have its own resident association. The purpose of having this association is to maintain a proper and clean building and also to facilitate communication bet-ween the authority, council and residents.

The resident associations will then be expected to encourage their representative to take an active role in their building and to take decisions in agreement with the other residents.

The administrator in charge will be given an incentive for taking the responsibility – €150 yearly when the block does not exceed 12 apartments and an additional sum of €10 a year for any other apartment in that same block.

Where are we?

The official campaign – ‘My building – my home’, was launched during a ceremony held in one of the housing estates in San Ġwann last month.The Housing Authority hopes to receive positive feedback from residents and councils alike.

Community engagement processes and mechanisms enable citizens to discuss and identify community concerns, goals and directions.

The authority is therefore encouraging more debate and more voice for community members in each council.

The authority is also currently meeting up with councils and residents of housing blocks undergoing maintenance in their common parts this year.

Residents are not only being given information about the scheme, but also ample space for answering questions andforwarding suggestions for more involvement in their communities.

Ms Mizzi is policy and research supervisor, Housing Authority.