AC residence services help students find affordable housing

For Abby Ankersmit, housing proved to be more difficult than getting herself enrolled at Algonquin College.

“I had applied to go into residence. I was on the waiting list since March and nothing. I was just told it was full,” said Ankersmit, a first-year early childhood education student. “I almost didn’t go to Algonquin College because I couldn’t find a place.”

For many students, finding appropriate and affordable accommodations can be challenging. According to Zumper.ca, a rental finding service which uses its own algorithm to calculate averages based on user listings, the average cost of a two-bedroom apartment is $2,537 a month in Ottawa. That is a four per cent increase from July to August 2024.

Initially, Ankersmit’s plan was to go into residence. Now, she pays nearly $800 a month for her room in a four-bedroom apartment.

“I live in a house with three other girls,” she said.

Finding affordable housing is a common concern for students. Algonquin College’s residence team is aware of the economic struggles of student accommodations.

Brittany Moore is Algonquin College’s student housing coordinator. The role is new to the college, with Moore joining in April 2024.

“I do offer workshops that help students budget for a place,” she said. “I also offer one-on-one meetings for all students.”

Moore runs financial workshops to help first-time renters find living accommodations before the school year.

“I start as soon as three months before school,” Moore said.

Some of the webinars Moore hosts include tips on living away from home for the first time. Moore talks about the average rental costs in the Ottawa, Pembroke, and Perth areas. She also has webinars dedicated to tips on how to be a good tenant.

First-year architecture student Max Raymond commutes to the campus for almost two hours because of the cost of Algonquin College’s residences.

“Residence is mad expensive. I drive an hour and 40 minutes, that’s how expensive it is,” Raymond said. “I’ve spent $50 on gas this week alone.”

The cost for Algonquin College’s Ottawa campus residence is $12,970 for a regular, two-term occupation with a meal plan.

Moore mentioned that the cost of student residence is comparable to off-campus housing and that in her opinion, residence has added value.

“There’s no stress: your heating is on, your water is on, your lights are always on,” she said. “The meal plan can hugely help with groceries… (it) can save time for people who are living alone for the first time.”

Students who live off-campus are also feeling defeated when it comes to trusting their landlords.

“The cost of living is too high. We can’t find jobs, the rate of inflation is increasing, and we can’t do anything about it,” said second-year game development student Danik Bellavance.

Bellavance said they distrust their landlord because of the laws surrounding rent control.

“I was there for a year, and suddenly I got an email saying he was raising the rent,” they said.

As for students in residence, the question is, do they find it worth the money?

Second-year radio broadcasting student Alice Fournier thinks so.

“There’s lots of (amenities), like the cafe downstairs,” she said. “I’m very thankful my parents are paying for it.”

Fournier plans to pay back her parents once employed after her schooling.

“If you break it down, it’s comparable to off-campus housing,” Moore said. “We don’t control the (cost of) rent, unfortunately.”

The college has also made efforts to find ways to make off-campus housing cheaper through partnerships with rental platforms, including Spaces Shared.

Spaces Shared allows people over 18 to list their rooms and offers benefits like helper’s discounts for tenants agreeing to do chores around the house. Spaces Shared’s demographic is empty-nesters.