Expensive, hard-to-find housing troubles university students as school year begins

University of New Brunswick student Pawan Kumar said the search for housing in Fredericton has been "devastating."

He arrived from India 10 days ago to begin a master's degree in business administration, but so far, he hasn't been able to find anywhere to live.

"I'm staying in a hotel now and it's very costly," said Kumar.

He said the problem seems to be the lack of availability, which is indirectly increasing rent prices.

At the Université de Moncton, Étienne Belanger, the president of the student federation, said there are about 200 students who don't have housing yet.

"They either have to stay with a friend or they need to rent some hotel rooms, which is completely unacceptable. Because, you know, we are students."

For the second year in a row, the university put out a call out to the community to consider renting empty rooms in their homes to students.

Belanger said that resulted in about 50 students finding housing.

He said he's heard from students that the cost of rent near the university is around $1,500, and the closest affordable options are near the airport, about nine kilometres from the campus.

"If they want something cheap, they need to go far, but most of them don't have a car, don't have transportation … because the buses [don't] pass the airport."

Jacques Alalam, who is studying for a master's degree at UNB Fredericton and is from Lebanon, said working 20 hours a week is the only way to cover the cost of rent.

He said he is lucky to have a little bit of financial support from family, but finding an affordable apartment was still difficult.

Alalam was living somewhere else last year, but decided to move because of the cost of his previous place. 

He spent three months searching for an apartment, he said, wading through overpriced listings online. 

Eventually, he met a classmate who directed him to the owner of his current place, where he now rents a room for $500 per month.

"I wish university housing was cheaper. I wish UNB would provide, you know, more affordable options for students," Alalam said.

In an email, a UNB spokesperson said the university is aware of the "issues around accessible and affordable student housing on and off campus." The statement said UNB is securing additional housing for students, but the spokesperson did not respond to a follow-up emailing asking how that's being done.

The residences at the university are expected to be full this year, the statement said, and there is a wait list as things can change "based on those who may have secured alternative options."

Just up the hill at St. Thomas University, Ryan Sullivan, the associate vice-president of enrolment management, said there are still a few beds available in residence, so students have been informed that it's still an option if they find themselves in a situation where they need housing.

He said there hasn't been much of a difference in the number of students choosing residence compared to previous years, but he thinks that could be because housing challenges in Fredericton are "well-publicized," and students were making housing arrangements before leaving for the summer. 

For international students especially, Sullivan said the university promotes the residence option a lot so students don't have to worry about buying furniture or paying additional utility bills while they transition to a new country.

The STU website says residence fees are between $5,002 and $10,302, in addition to a damage deposit and the cost of meal plans.

Belanger said financial burdens pile up for students, especially those coming from another country because of the added expense of travel and tuition.

"[It's] a lot of little things like that and the cost of living just in New Brunswick in general. So it's little things like that that pile up."

Belanger said he wants to see the government working with the university to build new residences on campus as a long-term goal, and in the short-term, providing financial support to students.

Last week, the province announced $7.6 million would be put toward increasing the maxim weekly amounts for student loans and bursaries. But this isn't the type of support that Belanger is talking about.

"It's like 'OK, I have my bachelor, but now I'm owing the government like thousands and thousands of dollars. So, sure, it helped me get there but at the end, it's just my life is messed up because I need to give them so much money,'" said Belanger. 

"What we want actually is the government and the university to make concrete action for the students."