Help young people acquire first home, NGO says, as it warns of housing crisis

A Christian NGO is calling on the government to adopt measures to address property hoarding and speculation, which, it says, is leading to a crisis in housing. In its proposals for the upcoming budget, Żgħażagħ Ħaddiema Nsara said such measures should be proportional to the gravity of the current situation, which is a major factor driving thousands of young people out of Malta. It appealed to the government to help young people acquire their first home.  Other proposals include: Guarantee no budgetary cuts to education for the next five years. This should be coupled with measures to improve the accountability and transparency of spending by publically-funded education institutions; Strengthen vocational training; Adopt a more just pension system. This should reflect the rising cost of living and the quality-of-life expectations. Such changes will relieve financial pressures from the cohort of workers and reduce the number of pensioners at risk of poverty; Enforce health and safety at work. Too many lives have been lost due to accidents and injuries at workplaces, particularly on construction sites; Ensure all construction projects use sustainable high-quality materials, and...