New Housing Authority board appointed

The Housing Authority’s new board will be chaired by Antoinette Vassallo with Robert Ducker as her deputy, Social Solidarity Minister Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca announced this morning. The other board members will be Helen Mallia, Margret Quintano, Ivan Grixti, Lino Bianco, Alex Buontempo and Ray Zammit. Ms Coleiro Preca pointed out the presence of three women on the board that was composed of an array of professionals. She said the board will be responsible to come up with a housing strategy that was lacking until today. Ms Vassallo, a former nurse and former Ta Xbiex mayor, said she was concerned by a recent EU survey that showed that 88 per cent of the population thought there was corruption and 60 per cent of them perceived corruption within the Housing Authority. The new board had a lot of work to do to change this perception and ensure that the authority was transparent and trusted. Ms Coleiro Preca said that the board will also work to ensure that the authority worked in collaboration with other social services to provide holistic help to vulnerable groups and not merely “a roof above their head”.