90% of P.E.I. students not confident they could find new housing if needed, report finds

Ryan McKellop · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 7:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

A recently released study highlights wide concerns among connected Prince Edward Island's post-secondary students over the availability and affordability of housing. 

The study was prepared for the UPEI Student Union, and polled students connected what issues they deliberation the national should prioritize.

Noah Mannholland, the pupil union's assembly chair, said the report is the archetypal measurement successful addressing the concerns.

"Housing has repeatedly been astatine the apical of that list," Mannholland said. 

"We needed to get the shot rolling, truthful the archetypal happening to bash whenever you're trying to fig retired a occupation is to place the scope, and truthful that's what this [report] is."

WATCH | Post-secondary students successful P.E.I. struggling to find affordable housing: report:

Mannholland said helium did not expect to spot truthful galore students affected by the contented — the study showed astir 90 per cent of those surveyed weren't assured they could find caller and affordable lodging if needed. 

"We benignant of expected an magnitude of students to beryllium OK, but... 90 per cent of [them] are not assured they tin find caller lodging if their existent lodging runs out," helium said. "Students bargain astatine a reasonably abbreviated timeframe, due to the fact that often times they instrumentality the summertime disconnected [and] that creates a truly large occupation for them."

On apical of that, determination are different things students request to support successful caput erstwhile uncovering housing, specified as a balancing their studies with jons, and uncovering a spot that's adjacent to campus.  

"There are students who would request to sacrifice things similar textbooks and sometimes nutrient successful bid to wage for housing," Mannholland said. "Students besides request to truly beryllium careful, due to the fact that they can't find thing excessively acold distant from UPEI oregon Holland College, oregon they'll ne'er get to school."

Finding lodging can take months

Mannholland said lodging options are scarce, and determination are a batch of students surviving successful "subpar" conditions.

"It tin beryllium a months-long process if you don't get super lucky. We had students that are coming to america having started schoolhouse and saying 'we don't person housing,'" helium said. 

"There are students who unrecorded without a model astir here, determination are students who are 4 to 5 to a azygous room. It's... thing that needs to beryllium addressed."

Youssef Ashraf, a machine subject and mathematics pupil who's graduating this year, was 1 of those who had a hard clip uncovering a spot to enactment erstwhile helium archetypal arrived astatine UPEI. 

"It really took maine 3 to 4 months conscionable to find a due house," helium said. "I came from extracurricular of Canada, truthful to find a place, [there] wasn't a circumstantial website and the bulk of websites were scammers."

Ashraf said the spot helium was capable to yet get adjacent to the field wasn't perfect owed to the precocious rent.

Ashraf isn't the lone 1 facing those issues. 

Mannholland said a sizeable magnitude of students person considered dropping out. He would similar to spot more housing with a absorption connected affordability for students.

"About 20 per cent of students that we surveyed accidental that... academics is thing they would see giving up wholly due to the fact that they can't find a spot to live, the outgo of surviving is truthful high," helium said. 

"Students often times are not getting enactment from their parents, and it's truly unsmooth deciding if you're going to enactment those other 5 hours for rent oregon if you're going to spell to people connected time."

In a connection to CBC News, officials with Holland College said they would person a amended thought of how galore students request lodging by the extremity of May, erstwhile enrolment numbers commencement to go much clear. 

The City of Charlottetown besides sent a statement, saying it's working on expanding lodging options successful the city.

"We recognize that affordable lodging is simply a apical interest for Charlottetown residents, including students who are often connected a fixed income," the connection reads. "We request to summation lodging options that are not lone affordable but that are besides adjacent transit and different services students request to access."

City officials added they're also planning connected easing lodging needs by expanding density successful residential areas.