Residents in the wider Msida area will soon be able to access a range of community services under one roof, with Malta’s fourth Access Community Centre set to open there in a few weeks’ time.

The centre will offer employment, social security, disability and welfare services, in much the same way as the Vittoriosa, Qawra and Valletta Access centres already do.

The announcement was made by Family Minister Chris Said as he unveiled a plaque commemorating the Valletta Access centre’s three-year anniversary.

Plans are afoot for a further two Access centres to open, one in Birkirkara and another in Gozo, although Dr Said admitted that work on these two was “still at its initial stages”.

He praised the centres, saying that the concept of a one-stop shop for community services was proving to be a successful one.

Dr Said then reeled off some statistics: last year, over 6,500 people registered for work at the Valletta centre on Melita street, with 5,000 signing up for employment-related courses.

The centre’s social security branch processed over 16,800 interventions throughout the course of the year, with 17 people using the centre’s Aġenżija Sapport facilities for the disabled. 112 others made use of housing authority services offered at the centre.