Cabinet today will review the results of the Housing Survey which Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent plans to use as a benchmark to ease the demand for affordable housing in Bermuda.

Although Mr. DeVent declined to give specific information on the survey before it is reviewed by Cabinet he told that 400 families on the Island were surveyed by Total Marketing and Communication to find out their opinions on affordable housing.

The document touches on all aspects of life in Bermuda which impact the housing market from the environment and immigration to the social dynamics of individuals who find it difficult to stay afloat in an overheated rental market.

Last week Families United In Action marched on Cabinet to demand the Government provide homes average Bermudian families can afford, and to house 20 families by September ? a goal Mr. DeVent said he is willing to undertake.

Currently, an apartment project at the on Battery Lane in St. David's has just gone out to tender, said Mr. DeVent. The Orange Hole townhouses in St. David's ? a development with two three-bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom is also due to be completed within the near future, although Mr. DeVent would not provide a completion date.

Sandhurst in St. George's is also due to come online soon for rentals and Mr. DeVent said the BHC is currently making utility connections at the development which holds six rental units.

He said part of Government's two-year plan involves meeting the need for 330 rental units with a mixture of one- two- and three-bedroom units. The team which Mr. DeVent has assembled for the two- and five-year plan include Government quangos Wedco and the BLDC, a representative from the Department of Planning, and Ross Andrews of the Sustainable Development Committee.

"Its important that we have this study ? the Opposition made fun of me ? but without really studying the issue we cannot take information which is anecdotal and make it into something knowledgeable," said Mr. DeVent.

It is not certain what portion of the report will be made public since what is released will be decided by Cabinet, however, Mr. DeVent said the BHC aims to reduce the demand for affordable units with new manufactured homes which have started to arrive on the Island.

The ten American made portable homes, which are made of wood and steel, will be put in the stock of emergency housing by the Bermuda Housing Corporation and will be available to those on the emergency housing list.

It is not known yet where the houses will be located, but Mr. DeVent said they will be in the eastern, western, and central parishes.

While he admits there are not enough affordable rental units on the Island, he said many people who have rented before with the BHC continue to put themselves in arrears. Despite the fact that 60 percent of Bermudians spend in excess of their monthly income on housing, money management is also an issue which impacts housing since many individuals will repeatedly put themselves in debt.

A new Cross Ministry Housing initiative announced this week by Health Minister Patrice Minors aims to assist families with children and to work with the Housing Ministry to ensure low income families receive the support they need to avoid falling into arrears.

In cases where a single parent home is run by a mother who is not supported by the other parent the family often gets into debt - factors which stress the system, said Mr. DeVent.

"People have got to bear responsibility for their circumstances, we will work to provide them with the assistance we can through anger management classes, substance abuse, we can do what we can but only to a certain point if the BHC is not receiving rent."

He continued: "We still need more properties, unfortunately there is a certain segment which is unfortunately growing of people who don't uphold their responsibilities. With this sustainable development plan we can all come together to focus on what we want and how we can achieve it with input from various sectors of the community."

The private sector which includes developers and anyone interested in getting on board, should contact Mr. DeVent.

"What I often find is the biggest challenge people have is that we perceive this as a housing crisis but no one is willing to say, you can come and put this next to me."

In the future Bermuda is set to go high rise, however, Government wants to guard against the development of a concentration of buildings all in one area.

"We're looking across the Island at high rise developments ? in the future we can say that Bermuda will definitely be going up."