With a month until school starts, still no sign of Nova Scotia’s student housing strategy
Student groups are concerned about the housing crisis’ impact on post-secondary students
As the school year quickly approaches, student advocacy groups are waiting for the Nova Scotia government’s student housing strategy — and are worried post-secondary students will be on their own for another academic year when it comes to housing support.
The province’s first student housing strategy was supposed to be released this past spring, but the Department of Advanced Education hasn’t released it, or said when it will be coming.
“We’ve been waiting on the provincial housing strategy for some time now,” Georgia Saleski, executive director of Students Nova Scotia said in an interview Tuesday. “I personally haven’t heard anything about it, and our concern is really that the fall semester is coming.”
The student housing strategy isn’t the only plan the province is sitting on. It’s part of a larger provincial housing strategy that was also supposed to be released this past spring, to explain how the government plans to confront a crisis that includes rising prices and low supply.
Saleski said since residences fill up and have waiting lists, the biggest issues for students are the affordability of rentals, and the struggle to find available rental units. …[Continue Reading]