Dar Santa Rosa, a new project in Mosta that aims to provide a home for children and minors with disabilities, was inaugurated on Wednesday following an investment of €3 million from HILA Homes Ltd.

The home, which is a “first-of-its-kind" in Malta, will provide children with a building and environment that are suitable for them, together with specifically designed programmes. It has 27 bedrooms spread across four floors, together with various common areas, including therapy rooms and a recreational space with a small garden that is fitted with sensory apparatus, as well as other rooms according to the clients’ needs.

The inauguration of Dar Santa Rosa / DOI / Omar Camilleri

HILA Homes, also known as Home to Independence and Limitless Abilities, is an entity set up by CareMalta Group with the aim of offering a range of services to people with disabilities, including housing, learning and development and leisure with a “person-centred approach”.

HILA Homes CEO Janet Silvio stated that through Dar Santa Rosa, the company will have the opportunity to “reach and help more people and families, while also providing them with concrete support”.

HILA Homes CEO Janet Silvio during the inauguration / DOI / Omar Camilleri

She reaffirmed that the aim is to “make a difference in the lives of the concerned families and increase their wellbeing”.

The building was inaugurated by Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights Julia Farrugia Portelli, who described the private investment in the disability sector as a showing of trust in the Government’s work to provide “a better quality of life for people with disabilities while at the same time providing a peace of mind to their relatives”.

“The inauguration of Dar Santa Rosa is another moment that defines us in this sector. Every boy and girl has the right to have an environment suitable for them, irrespective of their abilities,” she explained. Minister Farrugia Portelli added that children and adolescents’ needs are “not the same as the elderly with disabilities” and so the services provided are different.

Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights Julia Farrugia Portelli during the inauguration / DOI / Omar Camilleri

“I believe that this investment will continue to strengthen our health values, equality, inclusivity and dignity,” she concluded.

Aġenzija Sapport, within the Ministry for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights, also has an agreement with HILA Homes to provide services from Casa Apap Bologna in Mosta. These include day-to-day services, respite services for small periods, as well as those for longer ones to adults and children with disabilities.