A refurbished building, off Mount Carmel Hospital, will open its doors for young people with mental health problems on Monday.

The long called for makeover of the Young People’s Unit in Attard began in January and five young people will be moved to the Youth Residence next week.

Until January, there were two main buildings for young people that formed part of the hospital. One accommodated male youths and the other was known as the Half Way House. The latter was refurbished and can now host five female and seven male youths aged between 12 and 18.

The new residence moves away from the asylum format and has been done up to “feel like a house”. The residents will have more privacy, and while before they would have shared the room with three others, the rooms in the refurbished premises sleep one or two people.

They will also be trained in basic skills, including cooking, so they can go back to the community and live an independent life.

The refurbishment comes after the government last year said it was looking for a place to house young people with mental health, and not social behavioural problems, to end the heavily criticised practice of addressing both at once.

The new Youth Residence also makes it possible to treat children and adolescents separately from adults, CEO Clifton Grima said this afternoon.

Speaking after the inauguration of the premises, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said that one out of five children and young people have mental health problems that are not all treatable at home or within the community.

These kids, who suffered from depression or schizophrenia among others, needed mental health treatment at specialised units, he said.