Homeless call 179 for advice and comfort

The national support hotline this year received more than 200 calls from homeless people seeking advice and comfort.

A breakdown of the calls made to Aġenzija Appoġġ’s 179 supportline offers a rare glimpse into the world of the homeless in Malta.

“Many of the people who call us about homelessness will need advice on a place to rest, even just for the night, after spending time out on the streets,” Svetlana Camilleri, who runs the hotline service, told the Times of Malta.

The free hotline receives more than 10,000 calls a year reporting all sorts of problems, from domestic violence to financial struggles.

The 24-hour, free telephone service has been run by a team of professionally trained volunteers under the supervision of Appoġġ for the past 20 years.

Watch: Franciscans to open the doors for the hungry

Ms Camilleri said many of the homeless people who resorted to the service had nowhere else to turn.

“We have people calling us who have been kicked out of shelters for bad behaviour. There are people who are blacklisted and face having nowhere to sleep,” she said.

Little is known about the experiences of homeless people in Malta, with research and media reports on the subject...