Opposition Senator Gina-Spence Farmer yesterday begged Government to look at the plight of the poor.

She said ordinary, hard-working families were being excluded from Bermuda?s economy despite their best efforts.

?It is booming but booming for who? They are looking for Government to understand their plight after eight years.?

She said the empowerment talked about in other places was missing in neighbourhoods around Bermuda.

It led to people squatting at the old Club Med site. ?It isn?t a place they should be. It is the only place they can go.

?I know there is a section of the community who don?t work. That is not who I am talking about.

?I am talking about people working everyday.?

Some were living in the wilderness, said Sen. Spence-Farmer.

?They cannot possibly believe this Government has their best interests in hand.?

Some were working all week for wages of $4-500 which was not enough to rent an apartment. ?The reality is this economy is a threat to them. When an economy becomes a threat for the people of the country you have to revisit.?

Senator Wayne Caines said Sen. Spence-Farmer was speaking as if she was the only one to notice the problems of the poor.

He said exorbitant rents being charged by exempt companies were contributing to the problem.

?That isn?t something which happened in 1998.?

Government Senate leader David Burch lashed out at claims Government didn?t care and said he was working very hard on the issue and took the claims personally.

He said he had been up and down the Island listening to people?s housing concerns.

?I heard what they said, they are saying Government has done something for them but it needs to do more and that?s exactly what we are doing.?

And he said the Opposition continually lambasted Government every time it put together a housing deal.

Senator Burch admitted his appointment as Housing Minister was by ?grace and favour? but he said if anyone could do a better job then they could try persuading the Premier to replace him.

?I will happily go to Southampton and do something else.?

Opposition Senate leader Kim Swan said Government was creating housing projects not aimed at people most in need.

He said people wanting to buy into the Loughlands estate would need to be on $90,000 a year.

He said when Freddie Wade led the PLP he called out for rental units to be built and the UBP Government had listened and built housing.