Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that Europe must ensure that homelessness is a truly reversible phenomenon. Dr Sant, addressing a seminar on homelessness in Europe at the European Parliament, said that in many cases, homelessness is not a once for ever failure. It can be, is, reversible. Interventions that seek to trigger this reversibility have the elements of what makes a project viable in socio-economic terms.
The Maltese MEP said this is another dimension where learning from the experience of member states can help develop cost effective practice to contain homelessness on a personal and social level. EU funded projects dealing with homelessess projects should not simply be considered as an exercise in state, or Union charity, or solidarity. There are the huge socioeconomic costs of homelessness that will become cumulative, unless they are addressed. Investing in the containment of homelessness now, implies less social burdens in the future.
“It is a recognised fundamental right for a person to have a home – then how and why do we have so many homeless people in Europe? Different causes for homelessness needs different approaches. It’s therefore of crucial importance to get a good idea of the causes. Lack of data remains a fundamental problem – the first essential step is to have comprehensive information which includes the numbers and the causes. Some causes are quite evident. We have a single market in goods and services, as well as in people. But some, perhaps many of those who fail to make it in labour markets, for economic reasons or for personal reasons, like social maladjustment, mental and physical disease, find there is no safety net for them.”
The Maltese MEP said a wedge has been created between what we believe that European values of solidarity and social welfare imply, and what actually happens in neo-liberal Europe at times of consolidation and austerity.
“On a European level, we need to coordinate the data gathering efforts and the studies that shed light on the causes of homelessness. We then need to coordinate efforts at a national level that try to contain the causes of homlessness as they arise locally, and those that follow from the free movement of workers and people within the European singlemarket.”
Maltese Version – IRRIDU NREĠĠGĦU LURA L-FENOMENU TA’ NIES BLA SAQAF FL-EWROPA
Irridu niżguraw li l-Ewropa treġġa’ lura l-fenomenu tan-nies bla saqaf. Dan qalu l-Ewroparlamenti Alfred Sant f’seminar dwar in-nies bla saqaf fl-Ewropa fil-Parlament Ewropew. Dr Sant qal li f’ħafna każi dil-problema mhix permanenti.Tista’ titreġġa’ lura. L-esperjenzi fl-istati membri tal-UE jgħinu biex jinstabu soluzzjonijiet fuq livell personali u soċjali. Proġetti tal-UE fuq dawn il-proġetti m’għandhomx jitqiesu bħala eżerċizzju ta’ karita` jew solidarjeta`. Dal-fenomenu għandu effetti soċjo-ekonomiċi li jistgħu jkomplu jikbru jekk ma jkunux indirizzati. Jekk isir dan, ikollna anqas piżijiet soċjali fil-futur.
“Huwa dritt fundamentali għall-bniedem li jkollu saqaf fuq rasu – allura għax għandna daqstant nies bla saqaf fl-Ewropa? Kawżi differenti għal dil-problema, jitolbu soluzzjonijiet differenti. Problema fundamentali tibqa’ nuqqas ta’ informazzjoni biex nifhmu aħjar il-kawża. Uħud mill-kawżi huma evidenti. Għal uħud, dawk li ma jsibux xogħol għal raġunijiet personali jew ekonomiċi, problemi mentali u fiżiċi, m’hemm xejn li jilqagħlhom għall-probemi.”
Alfred Sant qal li nħoloq feles bejn x’nifhmu bil-valuri ta’ solidarjeta` jew valuri ta’ għajuna soċjali u x’qed jiġri f’Ewropa neo-liberali fi żminijiet ta’ konsolidament u awsterita`.
“Fuq livell Ewropew, irridu nikkordinaw l-informazzjoni u l-istudji li jitfgħu dawl fuq dal-fenomenu. Imbagħad irridu nikkordinaw l-isforzi tagħna fuq livell nazzjonali u dak maħluq mill-moviment ħieles ta’ ħaddiema fis-suq wieħed Ewropew”. qal l-Ewroparlamentari Malti.
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