Former Bermuda Homes for People executive member Clifford Schorer defended Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent yesterday as he clarified his reasons for leaving the project.

?I think Minister DeVent has definitely got his heart in the right place,? Mr. Schorer said. ?This is a great project, a great plan, I?m 100 percent behind it and hope it happens.?

Mr. Schorer, who spearheaded the BHP concept of using the sale of market-price homes to fund the construction of affordable homes, was also working on implementing the same concept in Nantucket before backing out of the Bermuda project.

The BHP plans to build 196 homes on Southside land donated to the project by the Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC).

While 98 of those homes are being sold at market price, the other 98 are to be sold at affordable prices. Ground is expected to be broken for the project in May. After providing the seed money for the BHP and working on the executive side of the project, Mr. Schorer ? who was never an investor in the BHP ? resigned from the project on January 15.

The news was revealed after a report done by accounting firm KPMG into the BHP?s finances was leaked to . The report, which declared the BHP ?technically insolvent?, was done at the request of Government, interested in doing due diligence on the project before committing any public funds.

KPMG recommended Government provide an immediate bail-out and then review how to get the project back on track.

With Mr. Schorer?s resignation the BLDC is taking over the project, working with the BHP to ensure it is followed through.

On Monday, both Premier Alex Scott and Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent declared the project is viable, that the BHP is working through its financial challenges, and that the homes will be built.

Rumours surrounding the reasons for Mr. Schorer?s resignation have been flying, but yesterday Mr. Schorer said he would set the record straight.

?It became clear that it would be a larger commitment of time and energy than thought at first,? he told

With deadlines looming ? Mr. Schorer owns the newly-revamped Wyndham Bermuda Resort, formerly the Sonesta Beach Hotel, and the hotel is due to reopen its doors after extensive renovations on Friday ? he said his other business commitments forced him to leave the project.

?I have my hands full here with Wyndham, trying to get the hotel back to operational profitability,? he said.

As for problems with investors in the project, he said: ?It would be more correct to say that I could see the financial commitment would be larger than I had expected because of the time delays. Now, I understand the investors are lined up.?

The KPMG report said Mr. Schorer was also seeking more than $700,000 which he said was owed to him by the BHP.