A woman who says she is trying to better herself in order to get off the books of Social Assistance is distraught that she is set to be evicted by the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) this morning - although she admitted she owes $19,000 in back rent.

Georgina Wray, 37, a former chambermaid, has been receiving financial assistance since 1988. The same year, she said, she moved into a two-bedroom apartment on St. Monica's Road in Pembroke.

The mother of three said she has owed thousands of dollars to the BHC for at least five years.

"When I first moved here, I was paying $500 a month in rent and within a month, it increased to $660," she said.

But, according to Ms Wray, she barely made ends meet because she was only taking home a maximum of $300 a week, and when the hotel industry slowed down for the winter she fell behind with her payments.

And that did not stop the BHC from raising her rent again, she said.

"Within a year after I moved in, the rent went up to $856," she said, "And they wanted to start charging over $1,000 in the mid-1990's, but many BHC tenants complained, so they changed their minds."

In 1997, Ms Wray said, she was served with an eviction notice after her arrears mounted up to $17,000.

"I was told to produce $10,000 but was only able to borrow $2,000 and they let me stay," she said.

While she said she has received financial assistance on and off, she admitted there was a period of three to four months when she was unable pay anything - an action that landed her in court last year.

But luckily, she said, the judge ruled that she should "work something out" with the BHC to pay back the monies owed.

She added that he also questioned how the BHC could expect her to pay her rent and arrears when she did not have any income.

Ms Wray claimed that BHC and Financial Assistance knew of her situation. She said she has even provided her pay stubs to the agencies to verify her income, or lack thereof.

Fed up with her situation, Ms Wray said she decided to make changes in her life, so she contacted Sheelagh Cooper, of the Coalition for the Protection of Children.

"I told her that I wanted to do better for myself. I wanted to become a nurse," Ms Wray said.

Mrs. Cooper took her to the Department of Labour and Training and she soon she was signed up to begin a nurse's aide course at the Bermuda College. Ms Wray is set to graduate next June.

"I called Ms Renee Brown at the BHC and told her what I was doing and she was very supportive," said Ms Wray.

So she was shocked when she arrived home from work last Wednesday and her son handed her an eviction notice that was left at her house.

She showed The Royal Gazette a copy of the notice, which was a duplicate of the one served on her in 1997.

Ms Wray said she called the BHC and was informed this time she owed them $19,000.

"They told me that I would have to pay $2,204 by tomorrow (Thursday) or have to give up my home," she said.

"I told Ms Brown I could pay $1,000 this week and another $1,000 next week. I even worked out a payment plan with her last week."

But Ms Wray said that although Ms Brown told her she would try to arrange a meeting between her and acting BHC director Deborah Blakeney, she had not heard anything.

"I cannot lose my home. Where am I supposed to go?" she asked.

Now working as a nurse's aide at a private rest home, Ms Wray, who said she intends on paying all monies owed, broke down in tears when asked why has she been in the system for almost 15 years.

"I always thought I was going to be a maid. My mother was one and I thought that's all I could be," she said.

"Ms Cooper helped me to see differently."

Calls made to the BHC office yesterday were not returned.