Housing crunch for MUN students continues ahead of new school year
Canadian Federation of Students asks government to address housing shortage
Just days before the start of a new school year, Memorial University students are voicing their concerns over the lack of housing, which one union leader says is likely forcing some to study away from campus.
Shyam Yadav, the university's Graduate Students Union's executive director of external affairs, told CBC News it's difficult for students to find hosues. Friday.
"The new students [have] already started approaching me," he said Friday. "They are really struggling. The rent really goes high."
The wait-list for housing on campus was as high as 150 names, MUN's housing director Bruce Belbin said.
Work has been done to shrink the list, he said, but there are still students without a place to live.
"The list a couple of weeks ago was quite extensive," Belbin said. "But our pressure point remains. Families and families are still coming, looking for a place to live, and we are full."
At MUN's orientation day on Friday, several students who have secured housing said it took them months to do so.
Student Anuj Nirwhal said there were several hurdles to find a place to stay.
"It took me two to three months just to find a room, and that room is not also good. I don't think it's in good condition," Nirwhal said.
"I heard from some of the students that were here before me. They told me the rent was $475. The rent right now is $600, just for that room."
Sanaz Javanbakht, a PhD student studying chemistry, said she's seen the housing situation get much worse over the last year.
Rental services like Airbnb have only worsened the problem, she said.
"It's been two years, I want to change my apartment. I cannot find a place at all," she said. "It's awful."
Mary Feltham, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students in Newfoundland and Labrador, said her organization has asked Premier Andrew Furey to commit to secure housing in the St. John's area and the rest of the province.
"It won't help right now because we understand it takes a while to build different infrastructures, but it will definitely be something for long term," Feltham said.
"There's definitely not enough available, either on campus or throughout the province as a whole. So a lot of students, both international and domestic, are reaching out trying to find somewhere for them to stay."
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With files from Arlette Lazarenko and Zach Goudie