The National Liberal Party has called for trailer homes to be used to accommodate the homeless.

Announcing a three-point plan to tackle the housing crisis NLP leader Charles Jeffers also called for boarding houses and low-cost apartments.

He added: "We acknowledge that there are those who regard trailer homes, boarding houses and low rent apartment buildings as un-Bermudian.

"We challenge critics to offer alternative, workable solutions.'' Rosemarie Pedro of the People's Coalition for Affordable Housing backed the call for more help for housing after pointing out that there were more than 100 people on the emergency waiting list.

But she dismissed the idea of using trailers: "They would lead to more pollution. We don't have a lot of arable land and parks are for children and recreation. There are a lot better solutions than that.'' However she backed the call for boarding house-style accommodation and said the former US barracks in St. Davids should have been used for this end.

"There are a lot of hotels which could also be used for this.'' Mr. Jeffers said: "We urged the former Government to come up with a programme that would address the immediate and urgent needs of the community.

"Very little was done, and to date, the present government is also moving very slowly.

"Almost daily we are reading or hearing about critical problems in housing and yet progress in meeting this challenge is painfully slow.'' The UBP's Cole Simons also chided Government for doing little to address the housing problem.

He called on Government to convert unused Government and private buildings, offer low interest financing to renovate a minimum of 100 derelict homes and offer low-interest loans to property owners wanting to renovate and then let their property via the Bermuda Housing Corporation.

POLITICS PTL