Marija Zammit worries she might one day be taken ill when alone at home.
The 79-year-old will soon move into an apartment opposite one that is occupied by a young family, which, she is sure, will look out for her.
Ms Zammit and three other elderly people will live in a block of government apartments that forms part of a mixed-community pilot project.
Four elderly and four young families will live in the same block.
The families were chosen after consultation with NGOs, including Appoġġ, and the apartments will be rented out at a subsidised price.
Each elderly family was assigned an apartment opposite a young family’s flat to ensure a “mixed-community feeling with reciprocal support”, Family Minister Chris Said explained.
The project, he added, fell in line with this year’s European theme of active ageing and solidarity between generations.
Mother-of two Miriam Muscat, 30, cannot wait to move to her new apartment. “It will be an upgrade compared to where we live now, for sure,” she said, as she toured her new home with her nine-year-old daughter.
Although the place is still unfurnished, it will be finished by the end of July. The building, known as Binja Mattia, was an abandoned palazzo on Merchant Street, Valletta.
Ms Muscat said her children already lived in a mixed environment, so the transition would not be difficult but she believes the move will help them understand that the elderly “have a lot to give”. CEO Albert Buttigieg said the project was one of 22 targets the Housing Authority set for 2011. Most of the targets had been reached and other projects were still going on.
Dr Said pointed out that one of the most successful housing initiatives was the renting scheme that enticed people to offer their vacant properties for rent and provide a home for vulnerable people.
More than 600 owners of private property applied to enter into a 10-year agreement with the government. Last year, the authority also started a series of educational meetings with new residents to help them integrate better within their new environment.
Social housing in numbers (for 2011)
The Housing Authority reclaimed seven properties because of breach of contract or misuse.
€383,345: Total sum of maintenance work on old government buildings
€8,041: Total allocated for building alterations for disability needs
Only four applications were submitted by first-time buyers for bank loan assistance
22 per cent: The increase in requests for maintenance work in government-owned apartments
349 – 26 days: Respectively for 2010 and 2011, the period of time between the submission of damage reports and repair