The help-seeking experience of persons facing monetary poverty : a study of Żejtun, Malta

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the kind of support that people in poverty receive from society and their experience in seeking and using such support. This focus has been chosen for two reasons. First, financial help-seeking is an understudied topic. It is often assumed that most individuals facing monetary poverty rely exclusively on the welfare state for their income. However, it remains true that some individuals in our communities also turn to other informal sources of support to be able to meet their daily needs. Second, this focus allows the researcher to pursue his interest to conduct a community-level study. The research question for this study investigates the experiences of people facing monetary poverty in Żejtun in terms of the nature and extent of support they seek, and receive, from various social service providers in the mixed economy of welfare. This research question required a methodology that allows for an in-depth understanding of people’s lived experiences, and therefore a qualitative methodology and a cross-sectional design were chosen. A total of fifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with two sets of participants in Żejtun: eight social service providers from different social institutions and organisations; and seven persons who are currently experiencing monetary poverty. Thematic analysis was applied to interview transcripts, resulting in ten themes which brought out what it means to face a daily struggle to make ends meet. The findings illustrate that people facing monetary poverty do seek help beyond statutory assistance, as they find that the current level of statutory support is not sufficient. Service providers concur with this view. Furthermore, persons facing monetary poverty expressed that they prefer, and expect, such additional help to come from the family. Both sets of respondents stated clearly that financial distress is a hard topic to talk about. For those living in poverty, the experience is felt to be shaming, making them seek ways to conceal their situation. Some also spoke of times when they encountered negative views of poverty which left them feeling excluded and often lonely. That said, many of the respondents in poverty illustrated their resilience and their ability to get by through careful management of their minimal resources. The findings also illustrated that some service providers explain poverty in individualist rather than structural terms, attributing poverty to character issues or poor skills. They also expressed concern that persons in genuine need are not always the most likely to seek help. The findings highlight the need for more active outreach and awareness raising about existing resources at community level, in a way that is not stigmatizing and that fosters social inclusion. It is hoped that future research may replicate this study in other localities, building up a map of social support networks in Maltese communities. Understanding, appreciating and mobilising community resources is very important to improve the quality of life of people experiencing poverty, and in turn, serves to strengthen community life for all.