Housing is the biggest expense for students (UTILE, 2022a). In the province of Québec, the majority of renting students (64%) spend more than 30% of their monthly income — including loans and bursaries and parental assistance — on housing expenses (ibid.).

A house contains three side-by-side silhouettes, two of which are coral coloured. One third of the house is turquoise. It reads: Nearly 2 out of 3 students spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

Effort Rate

Ratio of monthly income (including salary, parental assistance and loans and bursaries) to housing expenses (UTILE, 2022a).

An effort rate equal to or greater than 30% is indicative of significant residential precariousness (ibid.).

The effort rate is represented as a mathematical equation. Effort rate equals Housing expenses divided by Monthly income multiplied by 100.

The Effects of Financial Stress on Success

A precarious financial situation is believed to be one of the biggest sources of stress for the student population (Newcomb-Anjo & al., 2017; Villatte & al., 2017). Indeed, it is one of the most important risk factors for predicting increased depression symptoms in the student population, as well as for predicting its psychological well-being (Richardson & al., 2017; Stallman, 2010; QSU, 2019).

A spiral with five icons. The first icon is a house with a dollar sign inside and Affordable housing crisis written underneath. The second icon is a piggy bank broken in two and Financial stress written underneath. The third icon is a profile of a head with a twisted line above and Increased depression symptoms written underneath. The fourth icon is a stop sign with an open palm inside and Barriers to further education written underneath. The last icon, at the centre of the spiral, is a triangle with an exclamation mark inside and Threat to access to higher education written underneath. Arrows point from each icon to the central icon, Threat to access to higher education.

In addition to its effects on mental health, financial stress can have an impact on one’s educational pathway, including whether or not to pursue graduate studies (CUSC/CCREU, 2021). Nearly half of students have reported that financial issues have a negative impact on their future educational pathway and nearly a quarter say that financial insecurity discourages them from pursuing any other study project (ibid.).

The Affordable Housing Crisis

Financial stress stems in part from the housing crisis in many Québec and Canadian cities, which is in turn having a major impact on the student population (UTILE, 2023). Many live in on-campus residences, but 60% live in private off-campus housing (QSU, 2020). The lack of affordable housing close to higher education institutions means that the student population rents apartments whose rental prices are beyond their ability to pay (UTILE, 2022b).

The price of private housing with a high “turnover rate” of tenants — i.e., where tenants move frequently (e.g., among the student population) — rose by an average of 18% between 2021 and 2022 (CMHC, 2023). Nearly two-thirds of students who are tenants have an income of less than $20,000 a year (ibid.).

This affordable housing crisis — which affects major cities and regions alike — exacerbates student financial insecurity (QSU, 2020), increases student debt and threatens access to higher education (UTILE, 2022b).

Internal research at McMaster University in Ontario has revealed that first-year students living in residence are more likely to continue their studies and graduate than those living off-campus (McMaster University, n.d.). International students living in residence are 6.5% more likely to graduate than their off-campus counterparts (ibid.).

Initiatives to foster affordable student housing

  • The Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE) sets up non-profit student housing projects (including cooperatives) adapted to student life, with Internet access, semi-furnished studios and several rooms in the same dwelling with the collaboration of socially responsible partners (e.g., the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ).
  • The construction of housing above new university pavilions (Bula, 2022).
  • The purchase of hotels to be converted into affordable student accommodation or of office buildings with low occupancy due to the arrival of telecommuting.
  • Intergenerational cohabitation, where students live with elderly people in residence or who have space in their own homes (McGowan, 2022).
  • Establishing and expanding homestay programs for the international student population (Shen, 2019).
  • A directory of available housing in the region to consolidate all offers in a single location in order to (1) facilitate research for the student population and (2) centralize the rental space offered by property owners (Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup, 2023).
  • The Passe-moi ton bail initiative, which enables tenants to leave a copy of their lease with new tenants when they move to reduce the abusive rent increases that lead to housing crises.
  • Providing residences for specific student populations, particularly Indigenous peoples (Cégep de Sept-Îles, 2021; Western University, 2023).

Vulnerability of Certain Groups in the Student Population

Despite current laws, private market housing can be unaffordable or unfit for occupation, and students living there can be at risk of abuse (Brunet, 2022; Mohamed, 2022). Certain groups within the student population are more vulnerable, e.g., the average price of housing inhabited by members of a visible minority is higher (UTILE, 2019).

While the international student population has doubled between 2015 and 2020, and even tripled since 2008 in some Canadian provinces (Bula, 2022), such an increase has not been followed by commensurate investment in student housing. Many of these students have settled in cities already suffering from a housing crisis (ibid.).

Securing suitable accommodation can be particularly difficult for students who lack well-established social networks, face language barriers and have low incomes (Mohamed, 2022). Property owners often ask for references or income guarantees, which are particularly difficult to obtain in their situation (Bula, 2022).

Before the pandemic and the rise of inflation, the international student population was already facing significant barriers to finding suitable accommodation (Calder & al., 2016). The affordable housing crisis has exacerbated their already precarious residential situation.

A house is shown with the upper third in turquoise and the lower two-thirds in lilac, with a horizontal line separating the two parts. Next to the turquoise part is written Local student population: 14.3% plan to live alone or in a shared apartment during their college studies. In the turquoise part of the house is written Rising rents and Shortage of affordable student housing near campuses. Next to the lilac part is written International student population: 62.5% plan to live alone or in a shared apartment during their college studies. In the lilac part of the house is written Language barriers, Property owner requests references/guarantees, Housing in a worse condition and Higher rents.

Courses of Action to Foster Affordable Student Housing

For Student Life Services

  • Partner with tenants’ rights organizations to provide the student population (especially the international student population) with information on housing in Québec: how leases work, negotiations between property owners and tenants, recourse in the event of a dispute, and so on (Brunet, 2022; FECQ, 2021).
  • Make students aware of initiatives to reduce abusive rent increases (e.g., Passe-moi ton bail).
  • Create directories of local housing offers in collaboration with municipal and regional authorities.
  • Consider, in individual and group interventions, the stress associated with housing insecurity, particularly among the vulnerable student population.

For Institution Administrations and Members of Management

  • Pursue the dialogue at the municipal, provincial and federal levels to establish a systemic strategy for financing social housing aimed at students (QSU, 2020), especially new student residences (UTILE, 2022b).
  • Promote the creation of partnerships with non-profit stakeholders for the construction of affordable student housing (Mowreader, 2023b).
  • Advocate for property tax exemptions for residential constructions involving CEGEPs as well as universities, especially in rural areas.
  • Promote a better dialogue between international recruitment services and student life services to align recruitment strategies with the realities of the local housing market (Brunet, 2022).

For the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur

  • Consider the real cost of rent, among other things, by targeting an effort rate rather than a fixed amount of financial assistance (QSU, 2020).
  • Significantly increase allowable housing expenses in student financial assistance.

References

Brunet, T. A. (2022, 22 décembre). Universities and colleges want to enrol more students. But where are they supposed to live? The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/universities-and-colleges-want-to-enrol-more-students-but-where-are-they-supposed-to-live-195624 

Bula, F. (2022, 9 mars). Juguler la crise du logement étudiant. Affaires universitaires. https://www.affairesuniversitaires.ca/articles-de-fond/article/juguler-la-crise-du-logement-etudiant/ 

Calder, M. J., Richter, M. S., Mao, Y., Burns, K. K., Mogale, R. S. & Danko, M. (2016). International Students Attending Canadian Universities: Their Experiences with Housing, Finances, and Other Issues. Canadian Journal of Higher Education / Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur, 46(2), 92‑110. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v46i2.184585 

Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup. (2023, 13 mars). Hébergement : un répertoire en vue de faciliter la recherche pour la communauté étudiante. Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup. https://www.cegeprdl.ca/nouvelles/2022-2023/mars-2023/hebergement-un-repertoire-en-vue-de-faciliter-la-recherche-pour-la-communaute-etudiante/?p=5 

Cégep de Sept-Îles. (2021, 25 août). Un concept innovateur d’hébergement pour étudiants autochtones. https://cegepsi.ca/un-concept-innovateur-dhebergement-pour-etudiants-autochtones/ 

CUSC‐CCREU. (2021). Enquête de 2021 auprès des étudiants de dernière année. Canadian University Survey Consortium/Consortium canadien de recherche sur les étudiants universitaires. https://cusc-ccreu.ca/?page_id=207&lang=fr 

FECQ. (2021). Mémoire sur le logement étudiant. Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ). https://docs.fecq.org/FECQ/M%C3%A9moires%20et%20avis/2021-2022/Memoire-logement-etudiant_112eCo_Zoom.pdf 

McGowan, S. (2022, 13 septembre). With rentals scarce, a program that houses students with seniors is growing fast. University Affairs. https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/with-rentals-scarce-a-program-that-houses-students-with-seniors-is-growing-fast/ 

McMaster University. (s. d.). The Value of Living in Residence. https://housing.mcmaster.ca/future-residents/value-of-residence/ 

Mohamed, A. (2022, 11 octobre). My impossible journey to find student housing in Toronto. Maclean’s. https://www.macleans.ca/society/finding-student-housing-in-toronto-seemed-impossible-getting-scammed-didnt-help/ 

Mowreader, A. (2023, 24 avril). Long-standing nonprofit offers discounted student housing. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/college-experience/2023/04/24/long-standing-nonprofit-offers-discounted?mc_cid=836cd8e789&mc_eid=44020fe8ee 

Newcomb-Anjo, S. E., Villemaire-Krajden, R., Takefman, K. & Barker, E. T. (2017). The Unique Associations of Academic Experiences With Depressive Symptoms in Emerging Adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 5(1), 75‑80. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2167696816657233 

Richardson, T., Elliott, P., Roberts, R. & Jansen, M. (2017). A Longitudinal Study of Financial Difficulties and Mental Health in a National Sample of British Undergraduate Students. Community Mental Health Journal, 53(3), 344‑352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0052-0 

SCHL. (2023). Rapport sur le marché locatif. Société canadienne d’hypothèques et de logement (SCHL). https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/fr/professionnels/marche-du-logement-donnees-et-recherche/marches-de-lhabitation/rapports-sur-le-marche-locatif 

Shen, A. (2019, 21 août). Un deuxième chez-soi. Affaires universitaires. https://www.affairesuniversitaires.ca/articles-de-fond/article/un-deuxieme-chez-soi/ 

Stallman, H. M. (2010). Psychological distress in university students: A comparison with general population data. Australian Psychologist, 45(4), 249‑257. https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2010.482109 

UEQ. (2019). Enquête « Sous ta façade » : enquête panquébécoise sur la santé psychologique étudiante. Union étudiante du Québec (UEQ). 

UEQ. (2020). Avis sur le logement étudiant. Union étudiante du Québec (UEQ).

UTILE. (2019). Le logement étudiant au collégial. Résultats de l’enquête PHARE 2019. Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE). https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/604e1456a8cd2bab84c72bc8/610ab258043a2ea817a80f80_UTILE-Rapport-PHARE-2019.pdf

UTILE. (2022a). Le logement étudiant au Québec. Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE). https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/604e1456a8cd2bab84c72bc8/62e2db9eec481f4aa84c8390_Rapport-PHARE-2021_20220728.pdf 

UTILE. (2022b, 22 septembre). Rentrée universitaire | L’enquête PHARE révèle une situation alarmante pour le logement étudiant au Canada. Nouvelles de l’UTILE. https://www.utile.org/nouvelles/phare-2021-canada 

UTILE. (2023, 27 janvier). Rapport sur le marché locatif 2022 – Crise du logement étudiant: le pire est toujours devant nous. https://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/rapport-sur-le-marche-locatif-2022-crise-du-logement-etudiant-le-pire-est-toujours-devant-nous-848980936.html 

Vachon, I., Bikie Bi Nguema, N. & Gaudreault, M. (2023). Enquête sur la réussite à l’enseignement collégial, à partir des données du SPEC 1 2021 : rapport de recherche spécifique portant sur les étudiantes et les étudiants internationaux. ÉCOBES – Recherche et transfert; CRISPESH; IRIPII. https://ecobes.cegepjonquiere.ca/media/tinymce/EnqueteReussite_Rapport_EI_2023-02.pdf 

Villatte, A., Marcotte, D. & Potvin, A. (2017). Correlates of Depression in First-Year College Students. Canadian Journal of Higher Education / Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur, 47(1), 114‑136. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v47i1.186429 

Western University. (2023). Ayukwanktiyóhake’ Student Residence. Indigenous Student Centre. https://indigenous.uwo.ca/students//future-students/ayukwanktiyohake.html