The more successful other Government Ministries are, the harder Terry Lister?s job becomes as Housing Minister.

Mr. Lister pointed out the paradox during Friday evening?s motion to adjourn in the House of Assembly. ?Our successes (as a Government) are the cause of our failures,? he said.

As more and more international companies set up in Bermuda and more and more expatriates want to move to the Island, the more serious the housing problem becomes. ?I?m saying, ?well done guys, but you?re really making my job harder?,? said Mr. Lister.

One example was the situation of WEDCO tenants Raymond Crofton and his family, who need emergency housing after their home was severely damaged in Hurricane Fabian, to the point where the roof recently collapsed nearly on top of a wheelchair-bound woman.

?Those houses are in a condemned state,? said Mr. Lister.

?Part of the challenge is that there are no places for people.?

The Crofton family was offered alternative housing but as it was not wheelchair-accessible they have opted to stay in their condemned house ? for now.

Mr. Lister also told the story of a young woman who went to him for help recently after she was evicted from her home. The fault was neither the landlord?s (who needed to move into the house in question) nor the tenant?s (who paid her rent on time and had good credentials). Yet she had nowhere to go.

?I have a real sensation of what folks are going through,? he said. I had someone sitting in my office who had done nothing wrong. We have a crisis. We just don?t have enough housing.?