housing. The aim of the recently-formed People's Coalition for Affordable Housing is to alert Government and the public about the growing number of homeless people and the need for affordable housing. The coalition, which was founded by Rosemaire Pedro, started in September and has since expanded.

"It is a support group for people who are homeless or who are seeking affordable housing because of being evicted due to extreme rent.

"And what we do is get together and try and think of ways to capture the public's, and hopefully the Government's, attention for the need of affordable housing for their own Bermudian people who are in the lower income category,'' Miss Pedro said.

She added: "The coalition was started in September and we are going into our fourth meeting. I had heard of so many instances of people getting evicted that I decided to initiate a support group to see what we could do to help each other.

"I accidentally, due to my own circumstances, had to find help for myself and my children as we received a verbal eviction.

"Because of the moral and physical support of the group I and others have been able to make alternative arrangements and that is what this group is really all about -- looking out for one another, which for some reason Bermudians have forgotten how to do. We are trying to get it back.'' Miss Pedro said a lot of the people that have found themselves in this type of situation have low self-esteem due to all kinds of circumstances.

"In the support group we have a tendency to build up each other's morale which gives us more hope in finding better opportunities. That is one of the great things we get out of it. We also discuss proposals and try to alert Government and other Bermudians about the reality of the problem.

"A lot of us hear about these problems but we are not really in touch with it, it is a different story when you are involved.'' She added: "We have a definite housing crisis on this Island and we do not have low income affordable housing -- even Government is competing with the real estate market and a lot of us do not make enough to be compatible with the market value.

"We are not all executives -- some of us our making a minimum wage.'' On the ultimate goal of the People's Coalition, Miss Pedro said: "At the end of the day we hope to have Government rectify their policy for affordable housing for low income families so we could have less people on social assistance and more people being self sufficient. A lot of people are in some terrible situations.'' Sheelagh Cooper of the Coalition for the Protection of Children said they recognise there is a crisis in Bermuda in respect to the lack of affordable housing and "it is for that reason that we have established a task force to investigate the magnitude of the problem.

"Our initial estimates indicate that as many as 2,000 children in Bermuda are living below the poverty line and in overcrowded and unsafe, housing conditions.

"We have been made aware of increasing numbers of multiple families living in small one or two bedroom apartments. The idea of a support group of this kind is an excellent one because it can form the basis for empowering people to take control of their own problems and generate solutions to those problems.'' Mrs. Cooper added: "My experience is that these people are not looking for handouts -- they are hardworking people who want to provide a decent life for their children by their own labour if they can.

"It is an extremely complex problem and one that will require a collaborative approach by all parties concerned.'' SHEELAGH COOPER -- "Our initial estimates indicate that as many as 2,000 children in Bermuda are living below the poverty line and in overcrowded and unsafe, housing conditions.''