Small studies of student housing in Quebec: report

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Although students are among those most affected by the housing crisis, few studies focus on the portrait of student housing in Quebec, according to a report by the National Institute of National Research (INRS).

In a report — “Challenges in Student Housing in Quebec and Elsewhere: A Literature Review” — Nick Revington, assistant professor at the INRS Center for Urban Culture Society, provided an overview of current research on student housing in Quebec. The report was made with the Chair of the Quebec Chair.

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“We really didn't find much, so we looked to records from the rest of Canada and internationally to understand the scientific debate around this issue in other regions of the world, to see what might identify the most significant gaps in Quebec. Revington said in an interview.

He said more research is needed to better understand the problem and find a solution.

According to Revington, the surveys conducted by the Unité de travail pour l'implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE) are, in the absence of specific studies, “the best source of data on students and student housing in Canada,” especially since their data is mainly for Quebec.

“The problem is that the UTILE data is difficult to verify because we don't have other sources of official data that are detailed enough about students, socio-economic and socio-demographic characteristics, students in Quebec and Canada to say, 'Yes, UTILE data is very reliable – or not.' Revington said.

According to him, the development of research on this topic is not only for researchers, but also for the government, such as the Ministry of Education, which can develop more accurate official data on the number of students.

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Revington's presentation outlined some avenues of research that could be explored further.

“We need to better understand the impact of the housing crisis on students, on academic success, on work-family-study balance,” he said, specifically, does the housing crisis force students to work or work more? their affordability and how this affects academic success.

The professor said that one may wonder if some students will decide not to continue their studies because of the high cost of housing, or if it will be difficult to find one. Students from university and college towns living with local residents can also be explored.

The study should also look at student housing in the province rather than just Montreal.

“The little research in Quebec is really focused on Montreal, so there's a need to understand the situation outside the metropolitan area,” Revington said. “The housing crisis doesn't just affect Montreal, but it affects every university or college town in Quebec.”

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Research existing solutions

For Revington, student housing concerns are largely about the private market.

“70 percent of university students live in the private rental market,” he said. “In the private market there are questions of affordability, of finding housing, vacancies are very low in several university towns in Quebec, as well as in towns with CEGEP.”

He also noted that there is a lack of space in university residences, which explains why a large number of students are forced to find housing in the private rental market.

According to Revington, certain innovative initiatives are already underway in Quebec and are worthy of further investigation. He cited as an example the company UTILE, which works to develop affordable housing for students, often in collaboration with student associations.

The report also highlights special needs residency projects implemented in Québec, Trois-Rivières and Saint-Île to facilitate the academic success of local students.

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