The phenomenon of poverty is a universal one and it afflicts both under-developed and well-developed countries. The gap between those who are well off and those who have financially been left behind is growing. The dynamics of today’s economy keep changing and rewarding those with high skills and exposing the low-skilled to the risk of poverty.
Poverty presents itself in different forms. The poor are the homeless sleeping rough in exposed urban centres, undernourished children from deprived family backgrounds who stand little chance of making the most of their school years and the working poor who have to survive on a meagre wage that often is not enough to cover their living and accommodation expenses.
The story of a 36-year-old carried in this newspaper is clear evidence that, in today’s booming economic environment, some have financially been left behind. Dysfunctional family backgrounds, mental health problems, a scarcity of social and affordable housing and a diminished political commitment to support young families facing financial difficulties are conspiring to make society less caring for its weakest members.
Caritas director Anthony Gatt is right to state that society is experiencing a further divide between the rich and the poor. He lists the social groups that are most at risk of being caught in the poverty trap when he mentions people with low income going through a personal crisis, those experiencing mental health difficulties, the elderly, exploited migrants and those who depended on private rent accommodation as being the most vulnerable.
The government keeps repeating that, at 80 per cent of households, Malta’s homeownership is among the highest in Europe. This mantra is a weak argument to convince people that the government is doing all it can to mitigate the problem of poverty. Admittedly, the rise in relative poverty is a phenomenon that is afflicting most Western societies and lack of sufficient political will to address this challenge is equally widespread.
The UK charity Resolution Foundation, in its latest Generation of Poverty report, warns that children born today are the most likely generation to face poverty at the start of their lives for 60 years. Pensioners’ poverty rates are improving as the grey vote seems to have more effect on politicians than the silent generation of children living in deprived households.
Relative poverty that is defined as households’ incomes below 60 per cent of the median average is a threat to the well-being of society. It needs to be addressed with more political determination. Such commitment does not mean making the poor dependant on government handouts. It means targeting vulnerable individuals and families to address the root causes of their poverty. Direct financial assistance will often be necessary but so will mental health support facilities, adequate availability of social and affordable housing and social assistance to families with young children who have insufficient resources to practise good parenthood.
The poor will always be with us. However, this should not reduce the political commitment to address the root causes of poverty, even if, for some, lifelong social support will be an inevitable reality. The government needs to liaise with charities who work on the coalface of the more deprived sectors of society to identify how best to support the poor.
No society can afford to leave the poor behind financially.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial