Lethbridge's post-secondary institutions seeing high demand for student housing

LETHBRIDGE — Classes haven't begun at the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College, but some students are already stressed, trying to find a place to live.

Lethbridge's rent prices are putting a strain on on-campus housing ahead of the new semester.

"Our upper-year buildings are completely full," said Laura Correal, associate director of housing services at the University of Lethbridge.

"We have a long waitlist for continuing students and we have some -- and I mean like a handful -- of units still available for new high school students."

Correal hasn't seen this sort of demand since before the pandemic.

She says the main reason driving the demand is the cost of rent.

According to Rentals.ca, in August, a one-bedroom unit off campus was nearly $1,168 a month.

A fully furnished one-bedroom on campus is $5,588 for four months.

The U of L has 980 dorm rooms and a waitlist of more than 150 students, with more still being added.

"We are seeing a shift in students wanting to engage with the community, be more involved, meet others," Correal said.

"We're seeing the shift of wanting to live on campus as well as the pressures of off-campus living."

The University of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) has also seen an increase in students reaching out for support as rent prices hold steady.

"We have seen a lot of applications for emergency grants for students who don't have the funds available to them to make sure they can pay their rent, buy groceries, things of that sort because it's become so unaffordable and unobtainable for them," said Rachele Preston, ULSU vice-president external.

Preston says the U of L is a destination university with 74 per cent of students coming from outside of the city.

She says the stress of finding a place to stay is only adding to the anxiety over a new school year.

"The financial stress and the stress of not knowing fully impacts students when they're trying to navigate full course loads," she said.

"Students spend their summer months trying to find a place to lease when they go back to school and, for some, the weeks leading into the new semester are some of the most stressful."

Preston says the union has heard that some students have not yet found accommodations with less than a week before the start of school.

"Off campus, there are a lot of landlords who have had negative experiences with students, so they don't always want to rent to them," she said.

"Sometimes, it's not safe housing, sometimes, it's not accessible, and so there are so many layers to the problem."

Across the river, Lethbridge College is seeing the same demand with its 520 beds already full.

"We are totally full," said Erin Cvetko, resident and guest services co-ordinator at Lethbridge College.

"We are working with a waitlist at this time. We have seen huge demand of applications for all of our single suites, shared suites and lots of demand for family suites."

Rent at the college ranges from $695 to $960 a month based on single suites or shared accommodations.

Cvetko says along with the competitive cost, student housing comes fully furnished with all the amenities.

"Students love that everything is included," she said.

"When they come, they have access to their school, their labs, the library, they're close to all the amenities they need. They don’t need to buy furniture or services like Wi-Fi -- those are all included."

Move-in for both the U of L and Lethbridge College is set for Sept. 2 and 3, with the fall semester getting underway on Sept. 5.