CNC students navigating through affordable housing challenges in PG

Post-secondary students in Prince George have more things to worry about than just their studies these days.

Finding affordable housing in a tight rental market has proven to be a challenge, especially for those attending the College of New Caledonia.

Sara Heembrock is the Student Life and Housing Manager at CNC told MyPGNow.com it’s two on-campus buildings, which offer a combined 104 beds are full leaving many new and returning students left to scramble for what’s left.

“We have seen an increase in demand for our on-campus housing because it is so much more affordable compared to a lot of the other rentals in Prince George – which I think what happened during the pandemic and how low our vacancy rate has gotten, it has become more challenging for students.”

“It is a struggle and causes a lot of stress. Housing is a basic need and when you haven’t met your basic needs it can be really hard to focus on your studies.”

This scenario has been especially true for CNC’s international student population where in many cases they’ve had to re-crunch their living expense numbers on the fly.

“It is quite a shock as to how expensive housing is. Perhaps what they have planned for and budgeted for is not the reality in Prince George. Again, we have done a lot of work in making sure our students are fully informed what the rental market looks like so they can be well prepared,” added Heembrock.

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, average rent spiked by 9% in Prince George last year to the tune of $1,133.

PG’s vacancy rate is hovering around 3%.

With this in mind, Heembrock and her staff have had to find more creative ways to get students a place to live.

“We have done a lot of work over this past summer connecting with licensed rental agencies to work with removing some barriers for international students when trying to secure safe housing. Some agencies in town are providing alternatives for students like not requiring a local reference or a credit check.”

CNC’s main student housing facility has 92 beds.

In addition, its Nahoonai-a Aboriginal Housing consists of 12 beds. The college is the first of its kind in Canada to offer Indigenous-themed specific on-campus housing.

MyPGNow reached out to UNBC’s Northern Undergraduate Student Society for an interview but have not heard back.