Photo: NS NDP Party.
The first day of school means tens of thousands of post-secondary students are back in town.
The NDP says it’s another reminder of the desperate need for housing.
“As we welcome tens of thousands of new and returning students to join our communities and attend the post-secondary institutions in our province, the vacancy rate for rental accommodation is less than 1 percent in many places, and rental costs have skyrocketed, said NDP Leader Claudia Chender. “We have a situation of thousands of students struggling to afford or unable to find housing, that should have been predicted and should have been avoided. Two years after being elected, the Houston government’s insufficient action on this file is unacceptable.”
According to the Halifax Higher Education Partnership, there are nearly 38,500 post-secondary students in the metro Halifax area alone but only 4,198 student housing spaces.
“All post-secondary students, whether they’re coming to Nova Scotia for the first time or are moving from the next town over, should have a place they can call home, and which doesn’t break the bank,” said NDP Advanced Education spokesperson Lisa Lachance. “Every student deserves an affordable place to live, and I eagerly await the long-promised Student Housing Strategy from the Houston government and an updated MOU which addresses skyrocketing tuition and fees that present additional barriers.”
Advocacy group, Students Nova Scotia says the average tuition in our province is just over $9,300, nearly $3,000 higher than the rest of Canada, where the average is listed at just over $6,800.
As for the housing situation, a recent survey from the Elizabeth Fry Society that said those living rough in Halifax has nearly doubled since November, to about 178. This includes people who sleep in tents, benches or even someone else’s couch.
Rent in Halifax continues to rise. Most two-bedrooms apartments are now over $2,000 a month. The Student Housing Strategy would focus on affordable housing for students to lessen the demand on the limited housing supply. The NDP says the Houston government has gone months past their self-imposed deadline.
