TOO many Bermudians are being left behind as the cost of living rockets, according to the newly appointed Shadow Housing Minister Kim Swan.

And the 30 per cent or so whom he estimates are living "one pay cheque away" from poverty are bearing the brunt of an affordable housing crisis.

The Opposition Senate Leader took over the housing portfolio after being switched from tourism in last week's United Bermuda Party (UBP) shadow cabinet reshuffle.

Now he is urging the Government to produce actions rather than words to help those in need of homes. And he argues that diversification of the economy is central to keeping struggling Bermudians from falling into the poverty trap.

"We need to have short-term and long-term objectives," Sen. Swan said. "In the short term, the aim has got to be to reduce fiscal indiscipline and rhetoric and to see more houses actually become available that would be affordable for a great number of people.

"We have seen seven years of sweet talk and promises, but the truth is that we are well behind the eight-ball and this Government should have delivered by now."

To attempt to deal with the crisis, the Government announced plans in last November's Throne Speech to build 330 new rental units by May 2008.

Plans for 120 of those units to be built on the site of the old Naval Hospital site at Southside have been put on hold until at least the 2007/08 financial year. However, Works & Engineering and Housing Minister David Burch says his Ministry is still on target to meet his pledge of 330 units in 30 months.

Sen. Swan said the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) had reacted too slowly in addressing a problem that it had promised to tackle in its 1998 General Election platform.

In the campaign for the 2003 poll, the UBP had set out plans to build 100 affordable new homes in two years and to work with financial institutions to negotiate special low-rate mortgage deals.

Its long-term plans included building homes on 25 acres of the former Baselands at Tudor Hill, Southampton.

"The UBP presented a comprehensive housing plan at the last election that was laughed at and ridiculed by Ministers," Sen. Swan said. "Those same people had no plan and have since imported portable housing.

"The 2000 census showed that 12 per cent of people in Bermuda were poor and 18 per cent near poor. The Government talked about having a mini-census in 2005 but that didn't happen. I suspect that's because this picture has worsened.

"Poverty in Bermuda is not as visible as in many other countries. But just because someone can dress well and has a reasonable appearance, we have to look deeper than that to appreciate what that person is experiencing."

He said increasing numbers of people were living close to the bread line because the decline of tourism had led to an increasingly one-dimensional economy, heavily dependent on international business.

"Bermuda has become far less affordable for the average working Bermudian," Sen. Swan said. "This is of extreme concern to us in the UBP. We have a vision of a Bermuda economy that is more diversified, so that the optimum level of Bermudians can participate in it. Because of that lack of diversification, many of our people are one pay cheque away from poverty.

"The cornerstone of any country is a good home foundation, but being able to have that happy home is becoming less of a reality for many Bermudians these days."