Government has come in for more flak from tenants facing eviction from their St. George?s apartments.

One tenant fears her children will have to change schools if she is moved out of the area.

Another woman believes she would be hit by a far higher rent if the eviction threat is enforced.

And other families say their children?s lives will be in turmoil if they lose the homes they grew up in.

One tenant fumed: ?What I want to know is where they are going to move us. But the Government?s going to do what they want to do. I can say this, though, they aren?t a government for the people.?

Controversy erupted after Housing Minister Terry Lister announced earlier this month that the 16 two-bedroom, two-bathroom Government apartments on Anchorage Road (pictured) would be sold for around $600,000 to $700,000 with the money used for other housing initiatives.

On Wednesday, visited the St. George?s neighbourhood to discover what tenants felt about the proposal.

One tenant,said her mother was born in the same unit 70 years ago.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, called the neighbourhood the ?North Shore gang? and added that her son loved to fish on the rocks that were basically in her front yard.

?He?s lived here all his life,? she said motioning to her son. ?He?s only seven, but it?s not good to be moving him around like that.

?It?s just a legacy for me,? she added.

The 41-year-old woman did not attend the meeting held by the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) to inform tenants of the plans on rehousing. But she said other families in the units were not happy about the sale.

?It?s going to be hard, it?s sad because it?s going to take away so much.?

Robert Smith, who has lived in his apartment for more than five years, said he was ?shocked? to hear that the units were going to be sold.

?I don?t understand why if you have people living here already why you would want to sell these places when they already have people living in them and move other people back in,? he said.

Mr. Smith said he personally had to fix up his porch after Hurricane Fabian and had attempted to paint the ceiling in his living room. ?If you touch that ceiling it will fall in,? he said.

But he added: ?I love this area, I love this place.?

A mother of three, who has only lived in her apartment for two years, fears her children will have to change schools if she is moved out somewhere other than St. George?s.

?We don?t know where we are going to live, but I don?t want to go too far because of the children.? she said.

The 37-year-old woman, who wished to remain anonymous, also fears her rent will be raised if she?s made to move.

?I?m not happy. I attended the meeting and everybody there was upset. The Corporation said they would help us find a place and let us use a truck to move our stuff but I?m not working it?s just my husband and he has to work two jobs.The rent will be going up so I would rather stay in housing, in Government housing.

?When they say people are low income, a lot of people can?t afford to pay $1,400. I can?t afford that, we?re just doing the best we can with what we?ve got.?