Government yesterday repeated its pledge to tackle the affordable homes shortage by insisting hundreds of houses would be built in the next year.

However, campaigners argued the crisis could only be eased by a ?paradigm shift? in the mindset of the public.

Finance Minister Paula Cox said $122 million would be allocated to the Ministry of Public Safety and Housing, but of that sum, $4.3 million has been allocated to the Bermuda housing Corporation?s rental assistance programme whil ethe Rent Commissioner hets a small increase.

No new money was set aside for capital development of housing, but of the $20 million allocated last year, half remains unspent, giving the BHC $10 million for housing projects.

In the Budget Statement, Ms Cox pointed to the Ministry?s mandate: ?Every Bermudian should reasonably expect to have a safe and adequate place in which to live.?

She said a series of projects under way this year would include the delayed 100-unit Harbour View Village lottery-winner project at Southside, the 38-unit Perimeter Lane development, the 54-unit Westcott Road project at Southside, the 24-unit Ewing Street mixed use development and the 100-unit affordable housing complex at Ireland Island.

Responding to the Budget, Larry Williams, executive director of charity project Habitat For Humanity, said the whole community had to alter the way it thinks to help confront the problem.

?Building 1,000 homes will not solve the crisis,? said Mr. Williams. ?The Government is part of the answer, but the community has got to look at itself differently.

?I don?t know if the community is ready to accept some harsh realities and make some major decisions.

?Maybe that means people coming forward and offering their homes at a more reasonable rate. But then these people would say they need the money to pay the mortgages.

?The only way we can change things is if everyone ? and that means everyone ? starts to think differently.?

In a move to help families of lower incomes, duty relief will be available to approved housing schemes in both the public and private sector later in the year.

Meanwhile, a system of incentives is to be provided to encourage landlords to work with Government to get vacant and derelict homes back into liveable conditions, for sale or rent to Bermudians.

Incentives will include a tax honeymoon from land tax for one year for those who participate in the renewal and upgrading of their homes for renovation.

Cordell Riley, of Profiles of Bermuda consultants, who has studied housing trends, took heart from Ms Cox?s pledge that ?prudent and manageable? growth of the economy would continue.

Mr. Riley said this could help solve what he described as a ?housing crisis?.

?The Minister of Finance has indicated that prudent and manageable growth will continue,? said Mr. Riley. ?If this is the case, then the average Bermudian must benefit from this growth. And one area of benefit is the provision of housing.

?Failure to do this has dire consequences: Bermudians with marketable skills will leave, resulting in a brain drain.?

Mr. Riley added that it was vital the Government continued to make efforts to subsidise housing.

?As the Minister of Finance pointed out in her Budget, every Bermudian should have a reasonable expectation to have a safe and adequate place to live,? he said. ?The dream of owning a home is getting further and further on the horizon to the point that it is no longer visible.? Ms Cox added that a housing bond may be floated by the Bermuda Housing Corporation later in the year.

This would allow the wider Bermuda public the chance to invest by subscription to the board.