International organisation MOAS, the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, has recently launched a family hosting pilot project through which families in Malta can offer to host refugees and asylum seekers at their home.

In Malta, rescued migrants are placed into detention and subjected to a potential removal order. They can obtain a stay on removal when filing a claim for asylum. Once migrants are out of the government reception centres, they often face financial and housing instability that also bars them from improving their education.

This family hosting project by MOAS aims to assist and mentor families that decide to host migrants in their home. It was developed in response to the growing challenges around sustainable housing solutions and integration for third country nationals in Malta.

With such barriers to housing, there is a growing occurrence of homelessness amongst migrants in Malta and there are also growing challenges for migrants attempting to integrate into Maltese society, due to rising xenophobia and hostility. There is a vital need for durable solutions addressing housing and integration simultaneously and the MOAS Family Hosting Initiative aims to bridge such a gap in support.

Interested hosting families need to provide adequate accommodation free of charge for a minimum of 12 months. For this project, housing must comprise of a private room within the family home, with access to toilet and shower facilities. Internet must be provided and the participant should be given independent access to the home.

MOAS is an international organisation that has provided rescue and humanitarian aid to displaced people around the world since being founded in 2013 in the midst of the Mediterranean migration crisis.