Government to provide emergency housing.

The women, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from her landlord, said there was no emergency housing on the Island for those in need of immediate shelter.

"If you are battered you can go to the Physical Abuse Centre but for families that have nowhere to sleep there is nothing,'' she said. "The Salvation Army doesn't have facilities for families.'' As a result, she said she has had to take her nephew and his family into her home because they had nowhere to stay.

At the moment three families are now living in the two-bedroom house.

"My lease only allows for three people, so I am risking a lot. My son and his new wife stays with us because they can't move out because they can't afford it,'' she added. "My husband, my son and myself all have jobs. We work for Government.'' She said her nephew had a job and despite being willing to pay $1,600 a month in rent, was unable to find accommodations.

Housing appeal In her efforts to find emergency lodging for her nephew, the woman said she contacted the Housing Corporation who suggested a number of guest houses and other places that would house people but at a cost of $125 a night.

And she said that her attempts to get local politicians, including the Premier, Finance Minister and the Housing Minister, to address the matter had fallen on deaf ears.

"In talking to the politicians, they don't seem to see the need for emergency housing. They seem to think it is not a problem with affordability but availability,'' she said. "They refuse to hear that excessive rents are the problem.'' She added: "All the MPs say that their plans for Swanston, on Berkeley Hill in Pembroke, and Southside, on the former US Baselands, will solve the problem.

"They have 63 people on the books waiting for housing, with some of them waiting for a year or two. But what they don't realise is that a lot of people aren't on the list because they are either put off by what they have to go through to get housing assistance or feel that there should be no good reason why they cannot find places in their own country that they can afford.'' The woman also said that she knew of a several other families who were also having housing troubles.

"The politicians are turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to the problem,'' she added. Why is it so hard to have emergency housing.'' A Somerset landlord told The Royal Gazette that he recently advertised a three-bedroom apartment for $1,600 and was besieged with calls, forcing him to cancel a three-day advertisement after having it run for just one day.

"That's was two months ago, more than 40 people called throughout the day,'' he explained. "I was so overwhelmed with calls that I had to withdraw the ad by noon of the first day.'' The landlord said a variety of people came to see the property including married couples, two sets of brothers and sisters and single women who were willing to share the rent.

"There were people of many persuasions, white, black, Portuguese and some exempted company people. It was a clear indication that there is indeed a chronic housing problem that we are facing.'' Rosemarie Pedro of the People's Coalition for Affordable Housing yesterday said that there was an increasing number of homeless families moving in with relatives.

And she said that she had been trying to set up emergency shelters for families in empty schools.

"I have been trying to get the Education Minister Tim Smith and the Housing Minister Wayne Furbert together for a meeting to discuss using some of the empty schools as emergency housing.'' But she said that she has had little luck in setting up a meeting.

Last night Housing Minister Wayne Furbert said Government was examining the situation.

"All the emergency shelter has been used up as emergency housing,'' he said.

"But we are looking into this at the moment and there is something in the pipeline. You will hopefully be hearing about it in the near future.'' GOVERNMENT GVT