Homelessness used to be unheard of… until now 

It is a twisted kind of irony that a country which has been over-run by the senseless, out-of-control construction of a multitude of apartments, where even a tiny patch of land is somehow converted into a pencil-thin airless block of flats, should now be facing a homeless crisis. 

We have heard about down-and-out stories before, but somehow that of Ramona Vassallo caught everyone’s attention for a variety of reasons: First because she is Maltese (let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that a foreign national would have attracted so much sympathy) and then there is the fact that she is apparently the only woman in the country without a roof over her head (we have seen the occasional man sleeping on a bench, but never a woman). 

Mostly, however, the public felt for her because she refused to give up her dog; her only companion who has been of such solace to her. All the homeless shelters available to her stipulated that no animals are allowed which is why she ended up on the streets after being evicted two years ago from a building where she was squatting. Ramona was using the YMCA drop-in centre to wash up and get something to eat, but the nights would see her back on the street, trying to find somewhere to sleep. 

She came to the public’s attention after addressing a conference about social justice in Parliament. The Times picked up her story and her account of sleeping rough on the streets swept the country, with many unable to comprehend how this could happen in Malta where almost everyone can rely on a relative or friend to fall back on during hard times or, failing that, they can resort to a shelter. 

Ramona’s predicament came about after a lifetime of drug abuse and a number of stints in prison, and at the age of 52 she seems to be entirely alone in this world. Her plight struck a chord and donations of food and clothes, offers for free accommodation and job opportunities flooded in immediately. She was even given help by a vet to care for her dog. The group Women for Women along with other generous individuals also stepped in to meet with Ramona’s social worker to formulate a long-term plan for her to get back on her feet. 

It is by all means a heart-warming story which shows we can show empathy for those who are disadvantaged when we want to, but it has also lifted the lid on the crux of the issue. Homelessness is increasing, a fact that was confirmed by the YMCA which said its drop-in centre now sees from 40 to 50 clients every day. It may have been already something we were vaguely aware of, especially when we see how many are resorting to food banks and how many are sharing apartments because renting on their own has become prohibitive for those on a low income. Social housing and a wide range of welfare benefits go some way towards alleviating this problem so it is often kept hidden from public view – as a country, homeless people are still rare enough to warrant shock and dismay, along with accompanying photos on social media. But people like Ramona, described as having “fallen through the cracks”, are a stark reminder that not enough is being done. 

Let us not forget that not having a fixed address means that one is virtually a non-entity and for all intents and purposes one does not “exist” within society’s system. It means no ID card, no bus card, no bank account. Employment, social benefits or housing are also out of the question which puts the homeless person in a Catch 22 situation. 

In 2023, YMCA received 512 referrals out of which 228 people could be accommodated at its three shelters, which are partly funded by the government. The rest of the funds come from donations. 

The question is, should it be the role of volunteers, charities and caring individuals to come to the aid of someone like Ramona, or should there be an actual government entity which follows up on such cases and creates a proper halfway house to help those who simply cannot pull themselves out of their cycle of poverty? 

I would think with all the bragging by the PM and his Ministers, every time they see a microphone and camera, about our booming economy and how we are doing so much better than anyone else, some spare change could be found to help the destitute. 

What is the point of doling out permits for all these new buildings if this administration is not able to dig deep into its (once socialist) soul and buy a house or two to transform it into a shelter which can take in any type of case, including someone like Ramona, dog and all? 

Teacher vs student: the debate continues 

A viral video of a heated argument which turned physical between a lecturer and a student at MCAST had the whole island debating the thorny issue of discipline (or lack of it) in schools and whether things were better ‘in our day”. 

The majority of comments I read felt the lecturer was completely right in the way he dealt with the student - while others said that “if he wanted respect he should have treated the student with respect himself”. 

It's true that we did not see the whole altercation, so we do not know what led to this argument getting so out of hand, but I find it extremely hard to believe that the lecturer angrily ordered the student out of the classroom and slammed the desk with such exasperation when he defied him… for no reason at all. The student’s response was to hit the lecturer in the face and to let out a litany of swear words. 

The matter is now in the hands of the police after the teachers’ union filed a report against the student for assault, so until we know more about the sequence of events, there is no point in speculating about who was right or wrong. 

However, the debate on social media has opened up a can of worms which we could argue about endlessly. Obviously, no one wants to go back to the days of corporal punishment when sadistic teachers struck terror into the hearts of their students. I don’t think too much laissez-faire and leniency is the right approach either as that leads to chaos. I believe it is possible to find a middle road of firm but reasonable discipline coupled with the clear delineation of the teacher/student relationship.  Let’s face it, in a classroom situation, the educator has to be in charge in order to maintain order while trying to give a lesson.  And frankly, I would challenge anyone trying to handle a room full of children or teenagers to do so without EVER raising their voice. 

Irrespective of the outcome of the MCAST incident, we need to take a serious look at what is happening throughout our whole education system. Teachers constantly speak of escalating arrogant behaviour and how difficult it has become to correct or even admonish students (starting from the youngest of ages) because there is such an audacious air of entitlement. It also does not help that parents themselves try to bend or break the rules at every turn, setting a terrible example.  Disdain and contempt towards authority do not happen overnight. The arrogance begins at a tender age fuelled by parents who think it’s oh so cute and precocious - but let me tell you, it is no longer so cute when the kid is 16 or 17 and completely out of control. 

Frankly, from everything I see around me and from accounts from the teaching profession itself, we are raising a generation which does not respect authority, with parents who back them up, thus undermining what the educators are trying to instil.  The worst thing about it is that these incorrigible children and teenagers will eventually be inflicted on the rest of society and we will come face to face with them at every turn -  on our roads as drivers, on the job as employees, and even as future husbands and wives. Anti-social behaviour does not exist in a vacuum, and unless we get to the root cause, the ripple effect will be endless.