NEWS | Wednesday, 18 March 2009

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Raphael Vassallo
Water heaters have been switched on once more at the Marsa Open Centre, after residents staged a series of peaceful protests against an administrative decision to economise on utility bills by rationing hot water.
Oliver Gatt, director of Fondazzjoni Suret il-Bniedem which administers the facility, told MaltaToday that after listening to the residents’ complaints, he agreed to reverse a policy by which water heaters were switched off for several hours each day.
“We conceded that it was not a good idea to deprive residents of hot water in these colder-than-usual months, and have reverted to the system as it was before January,” Gatt explained, “But the problem of excessive consumption remains. Currently we are looking into the possibility of rationing hot water during the nighttime in the summer months. I believe this will be an acceptable solution to everybody.”
No incidents of any kind were reported at the centre during the two protests last week, which Gatt described as “very civil”.

Who pays the bills?
Controversially, the Fondazzjoni Suret il-Bniedem decided last month to ration hot water at the Marsa centre, even as temperatures dropped to their lowest recorded levels in recent years. Residents interpreted this initiative as a subtle way to “persuade” them to leave; but the centre’s administrators vehemently deny these rumours.
“The reason we took the decision was to bring some discipline into the centre,” Gatt said. “Part of the problem is that, on top of the permanent residents, the centre attracts non-residents who come in and use the facilities. Also, we have had to economise on things like electric kettles, installing a gas system instead.”
The Marsa Open Centre is currently bracing itself for its first utility bill since July, and to date its administrators are unsure how the recent tariff revisions will affect their rates. And yet, the same facility also benefits from substantial public funding, in part specifically intended to cover these same expenses.
Water and electricity is subsidised by government, and the centre also receives EU funding through the European Refugee Fund programme. Last year, it received €174,821 to finance a two-year project to “strengthen infrastructure and integration services for residents through self-empowerment.”
The money is intended “to improve two kitchens, recreational area, provide training for residents, improve health and safety conditions, provide medical care and service of a psychologist.”
Added to this is the revenue generated by the centre’s 22 commercial outlets, which range from hairdressers to restaurants to shops selling basic commodities.
These are all run by residents, and although the Foundation insists that they are “rent-free”, in practice each shopkeeper pays a weekly “donation” to the NGO, ranging from €22 to around €65.
Receipts seen by MaltaToday suggest that on average, these outlets between them pay the Foundation around €2,600 a week: in other words, almost €1 million a year.
Oliver Gatt however insists that the proceeds are re-invested into the centre itself, among other things to pay the salaries of the three in-house cleaners (also residents); and that allowances are regularly made for residents who cannot afford to pay up.

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