Poverty is getting out of hand in Valletta, as more families and old people struggle to even put food on the table, the city’s mayor Alexiei Dingli has warned.
Blaming exorbitant rental prices, which he believes have become the norm in the capital, Prof. Dingli says many residents, mainly elderly, are struggling to keep up with their day-to-day needs.
The problem is becoming widespread and is not limited to a mere handful of people, he told The Sunday Times of Malta.
“Here in Valletta, we are impacted even more than other places, because property prices have shot up in recent years compared to other areas in Malta. Elderly tenants are most affected by this, as they are the most vulnerable group who have nobody else to turn to.”
He knows of several families in this precarious situation. Some people, he says, are “practically being kicked out of their homes” because the owners of the buildings they lease – eager to maximise their financial return on the property – make it unbearable for tenants to continue to live peacefully in their homes. As a result, they often end up having no option but to leave their residence and move out of Valletta.
He has seen cases where the owner decides to build additional floors on the building and in order to get rid of the residents, deliberately makes their life a living hell while construction is being carried out, with excessive noise from the works and dust allowed to fill the common areas.
“We see a lot of these things going on and it really worries me. These people have spent their whole lives in Valletta and they love it. They are the kind of people that Valletta needs, and God forbid they all leave, because they are the soul of the city.”
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Unable to seek legal help to fight the owners, many then struggle to find a new home outside Valletta.
They are the kind of people that Valletta needs, and God forbid they all leave, because they are the soul of the city
Asked whether he feared that the problem was getting out of hand, Prof. Dingli’s curt reply was: “Yes.”
Another issue that the mayor fears is plaguing the capital is loneliness, with many residents spending their days alone without uttering a single word to anyone.
“This is also a big problem in Valletta. Even here at the council, we meet a lot of people who turn up at our offices just to be able to chatto someone.
“They show up not because they have a problem but because they need somebody to talk to. The unfortunate thing is that the social safety net has been eroded and these people are falling through it, which then leads to other issues such as mental health problems.”
On whether he believed things might improve since Valletta had assumed the title of European Capital of Culture in January, Prof. Dingli appeared sceptical.
While hoping the issue would be more effectively addressed now that the country – and Europe – was keeping a watchful eye on Valletta, he believes it is actually “an effect of Valletta 2018”.
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“The regeneration seen in recent years has been incredible and like nothing Valletta had ever seen. But we need to take care of these people or else the problems will get even worse than they already are.”
Meanwhile, Nationalist MP Claudio Grech, who was elected from the Valletta district, sees widespread drug abuse, more than any other issue, as “accelerating” the situation of poverty.
In solidarity with residents, Mr Grech boycotted an event held to mark Valletta’s assumption of the title of Capital of Culture.
“Valletta is home to the stark contrast of luxury boutique hotels and poor families way below the poverty line, hence creating a sharper sense of frustration and deprivation.
“The living environment of the residential part of Valletta is appalling,” Mr Grech said. He explained that statistically, Valletta has one of the highest rates per capita of social cases and housing requests, “largely driven by low household income”.
“This is clearly visible when one visits families at home, wherein material deprivation is evidently tangible,” Mr Grech went on, adding that the solution lies in a “concerted effort between all stakeholders”.
He said V18 could be an opportunity to “kick-start a reversal of this abysmal social situation”.