Malta’s trademark hospitality has served as an inspiration for the name of a shelter for homeless men set up in the US state of Indiana.
We try help the men find what they’re good at and to develop new skills
Just as the island had shown St Paul friendliness and hospitality until he was able to carry on with his journey after his ship ran aground, Malta House helps homeless men get back on their feet and reclaim their independence.
The house’s administrators believe that everybody’s life gets shipwrecked at some point, and the shelter helps these men get back on track.
“We try to help the men find what they’re good at and to develop new skills,” director of residential services Ron Fusselman said when contacted.
The shelter, which opened in Huntington, Indiana, in 2010, accommodates some 16 homeless, offering them different programmes depending on their circumstances.
This 24-hour emergency Christ-centred refuge acts as an emergency boarding house for those going through rough times.
In such cases, the men can stay for up to 30 days.
Others, perhaps suffering from some form of addiction, are accommodated for a whole year, while the shelter takes care of their expenses and helps them beat their dependency.
In some eight months, Malta House also set up a thrift store and a fast food restaurant called Malta Burgers “with a much larger cause than just flipping burgers”. Only the manager of this cafe gets paid; all other employees are either homeless men or volunteers.
The money earned at Malta Burgers and the thrift store, which is similar to a Salvation Army charity shop, goes towards the upkeep of the shelter, while the men are given a weekly gratuity.
The residents also carry out community work with the elderly, including helping old people move from their own houses to an assisted living home.
Malta’s reputation for hospitality has truly spread far and wide.