Islanders struggle to find affordable housing
High rents, lack of options challenges for students in P.E.I.
Victoria Wartman wanted to live on her own. But the 21-year-old Charlottetown student says finding a decent apartment she could afford on the paycheques she earns while working part-time seemed almost impossible.
“Renting a room costs around $500 to $700 per month. An apartment costs around $1,000 to $1,500 per month. Besides that, there are lots of places where you have to also pay for gas, electricity, Wi-Fi, and even furniture,” she said.
“It’s not affordable.” Being in school makes it harder to keep up with rent and bills, Wartman said.
“A university student takes four courses per semester on average. Each course counts for three hours per lecture, plus extra hours to work on assignments. Where does that leave you time to work to make that money to be able to pay that rent?”
She describes the housing market in P.E.I. as a seller’s market.
“I think landlords can possibly raise the price because there are too many people looking for houses right now. Tenants are going to have to pay that money.”
Housing across P.E.I. has been getting more expensive. A recent report by the P.E.I. Real Estate Association found the average price of homes sold in October 2020 was a record $298,668, an almost 20 per cent increase from October 2019.
Wartman was finally able to move out of her parents’ home in August and moved again in October when she found a place she could better afford.
Azure Gillman hasn’t been so lucky. She is still living with her parents in Cornwall.
“I’m a young adult trying to move out on my own for the first time, but there’s no locations to really start working,” she said.
Apartment rents are high, but the quality is not as good, Gillman said.
“A lot of people are asking for too much for an apartment that is very tiny.”
Gillman checked out a two-bedroom apartment that was unfurnished and didn’t include electricity, had a coin laundry down the street and was so small it would be hard to even fit a couch in. It’s $1,500 per month, she said.
“Having a roof over your head shouldn’t have to be a right. It’s a human need,” she said.
“I believe we’re going through a housing crisis now in P.E.I.”
Dayong Bu, a landlord who owns several houses in downtown Charlottetown, says lowering the price on apartments is not the answer.
He says even though there’s a shortage of housing on the Island, it’s not easy to find reliable and responsible tenants.
He looks for long-term tenants, and will work out a cheaper rent with those who can stay longer and demonstrate they are responsible.
“That’s a tighter bond with a sense of responsibility that go along with long-term contracts.”
For some students, signing a long-term lease isn’t an option, especially if they travel off-Island for part of the year.
For international students, affording a place to live is even more complicated.
In P.E.I., international students are allowed to work part-time to a maximum of 20 hours per week. With the minimum wage at $12.85, most students are making around $700-$800 per month, excluding taxes.
“How about groceries? How about school bills? How about car bills? How about gas money?” Wartman said.
Wartman acknowledged P.E.I. is building more residences for students, but she says living on campus is not an affordable solution, either.
“Housing on campus is expensive. It costs around $7,000 a year without a meal plan,” she said.
Spencer Lee, a spokesman for P.E.I.'s Department of Social Development and Housing, said it is looking at ways to provide Island students with more housing support.
“There are financial supports available to Island students, including the George Coles and Island Advantage bursaries to help alleviate the financial burden on Island students,” Lee wrote in an email.
“Students are also eligible to receive employment insurance while in school, and there are debt reduction programs available upon graduation.”
Wartman says those programs only go so far.
“The government isn’t ignoring the problem,” she said. “But instead of building affordable houses, they decided to put up residences.”