Right now, across Bermuda, too many families are searching for their own piece of the rock. A place to rest their heads. A place to feel safe. A place they can afford.

We live and are engaged with our community, so we see first-hand how this struggle has broken families, impacted children’s education and led to many seeking better opportunities overseas. What we have seen has broken our hearts and made us more determined to fix it.

To us, this housing crisis isn’t a problem in theory, or a story to share for brownie points. It is real, the impact on our people is real and their experiences drive us to make things right for them.

That’s why we are focused on increasing housing supply, removing roadblocks to new developments, supporting the delivery of additional units, looking at ways to make better use of existing housing stock and exploring innovative solutions to help put keys in the hands of as many Bermudians as we can, as quickly as we can.

We are delivering houses and pushing forward with solutions for our people across the island. Yet still the One Bermuda Alliance attacks, distracts and acts like it wants the work we are doing on behalf of our people to move slower or even stop altogether.

“Not here.”

“Not this way.”

“Not now.”

Dismiss, distract and delay. That’s clearly becoming the OBA way.

Delays have consequences. They mean more families waiting or stuck in crowded, unstable places, or forced to continue paying more than they can afford.

Every Bermudian must ask themselves, if every Progressive Labour Party solution is attacked, demeaned or forced to be delayed, what is the OBA plan to actually house Bermudians?

Do they even care?

We know first-hand the challenges being faced by our people, so this isn’t a game to us and this isn’t about who can score the most political points.

That’s why we are determined to move projects forward, reduce delays and increase the supply of housing available to Bermudian families. So the next time the OBA tries to dismiss, distract or delay, ask yourselves: “Do they even care?”

• Lauren Hayward-Bell is a Progressive Labour Party senator and the Junior Minister of Health, Economy and Labour, and Housing and Municipalities