State Senator Frederick E. Berry said its time for the Commonwealth to get serious about addressing the shortage of affordable housing in the state.

The Peabody Democrat said last week he is working with state Senator Steven C. Panagiotakos, a Democrat from Lowell, to prepare a major public housing bond bill for the next legislative session. Panagiotakos is Senate chairman of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Housing and Urban Development, and Berry is a member and former chairman of the committee.

"In the 1980s when I was chairman of Housing, we did three pretty large housing bonds, each of them an average of $400 million," Berry said. "In the 1990s, the Republican administration has shown no enthusiasm at all for housing. There have been a couple of bonds, but they have been for modifications to existing units or demolition of housing that has been abandoned. They have not built any units."

"What is happening now is that we have a real affordable housing crunch," Berry said. "That leads to two major problems. One is that families can't afford to get a [rental] unit, so they end up in a shelter. The shelters are overflowing. . .The other problem is an economic problem where outstanding job candidates are getting offers for well-paid jobs. . . and they don't want to move to Massachusetts because " of the lack of affordable homes or apartments.

Berry said the bond bill that he and Panagiotakos are developing focuses on the shortage of affordable rental housing. It would provide a new infusion of funding for the construction of new public rental housing units for senior citizens, low income families, and the disabled.

He said the bill would enable more people living in private apartments to move into lower-cost public housing. In turn, that would free up private apartments that others could rent.

Berry said he and Panagiotakos have not decided on a dollar figure for the bond. "I think there's a $2 billion need, but pragmatically, it will probably be half a billion," he said.

"I think housing is going to be the Massachusetts issue for" the future, Berry said. "I think if we don't react to it, it's going to have a real negative impact on our overall economy."

Berry, meanwhile, recently received national recognition for his advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities. At a luncheon during its national convention in Los Angeles earlier this month, Easter Seals presented Berry with its 2000 Outstanding Advocate Award for an Elected State Official. Berry, who has cerebral palsy, was honored for his overall legislative efforts on behalf of the disabled. Easter Seals is a nationwide organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities expand their independence.

While in California, Berry and his wife, Gayle, and his sister and brother-in-law, Judy and Win Fairbank, attended a taping of "The Tonight Show." Berry said he had a chance to speak with fellow Massachusetts natives Jay Leno and Ben Affleck, who was one of Leno's guests that night.