Non-profit troubled by Halifax university request for help to find students places to live

Sheri Lecker gets many requests for housing support in her role as executive director of Adsum for Women and Children in Halifax, but she recently received one that shocked her. 

For the first time, her organization was formally asked by a university to help incoming students who don't have a place to live find somewhere to rent.

"I was surprised because first of all, it's not what we do. It's not why we exist," Lecker said in an interview on Wednesday. "Even if somehow someone would have the time to offer some kind of support, housing doesn't materialize overnight."

Adsum, which operates two emergency shelters and supportive housing in Halifax Regional Municipality, has not responded to the request by the art and design school NSCAD University.

The unprecedented request comes as students are set to return this fall to the campuses of several universities in the city, which has some of the lowest apartment vacancy rates in Canada and quickly escalating rents.

Lecker said Adsum was asked "to run things like housing clinics, to share resources, to maybe introduce students to potential — I don't think they mentioned landlords — but just potential opportunities."

NSCAD says it did not ask for direct support

Representatives from NSCAD told CBC News the university requested help from several community organizations, but was not seeking direct support. 

"We asked these community organizations for advice, information or resources that might help our students secure housing in Halifax," said spokesperson Andy Murdoch. "We have been consulting with property management companies, hotels, other universities, as well as our alumni."

An official from the president's office said in an email on Thursday that the university "would never ask to divert resources from these organizations' clients, and at no time did we request emergency housing from any of these organizations for our students."

NSCAD does not own or operate residences, and usually relies on off-campus housing or other universities' residences, both of which are "increasingly more challenging to secure," Murdoch said.  

Murdoch wouldn't say how many students are currently in need of housing, or if any alternative living arrangements have been secured.

He said the university is currently contacting every new student to discuss issues such as housing and provide a housing guide. 

Student homelessness 'past urgent'

Eric Weissman, an associate professor at the University of New Brunswick, has been spearheading research into post-secondary student homelessness in Canada since 2016.

The preliminary findings show between four and six per cent of post-secondary students are insecurely housed, including those who are couch-surfing, living in cars or staying in an abusive home because they have nowhere else to go. This amounts to around 110,000 students across the country, Weissman said. 

"That interferes not just with their mental health, but their ability to succeed as students. So this is a major issue, it's an existential issue for students, and it's also a major threat to the education system itself," Weissman said.

"My feeling is that we're past urgent."

Lecker is calling on universities and the provincial and federal governments to address the issue of student housing, and not turn to community groups already stretched thin.

In a study conducted throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality last month, the Elizabeth Fry Society determined there were 178 people sleeping outside, up from 85 in November.

Lecker said Adsum is struggling to respond to people who have been living on the street for years. 

"I know that universities receive hundreds of millions of dollars every year in government funding," she said. "This is an emergency. People have nowhere to stay that is safe inside. And you can't look at small organizations like ours and others to think that we have a magic bullet."

The provincial government's student housing strategy was expected this past spring, but there is still no sign of it. The Department of Advanced Education won't say when it's coming. 

A spokesperson said the department is aware of a local university asking Adsum to share their housing expertise.

"We know that providers of community service are stretched to the limit with the current requests for their services. Universities have student services that provide housing support to students," Monica Maclean wrote in an email.

CBC News asked four other Halifax universities if they've turned to community organizations for help with student housing. 

A spokesperson for Mount Saint Vincent University did not say if the university made a similar request, but said it has a small number of spots available in its on-campus accommodations, and is still accepting applications from incoming students and students from other post-secondary institutions.

A spokesperson for Saint Mary's University said it hasn't made any requests to outside organizations, and is not specifically aware of any students who are homeless. 

The University of King's College also said it has not made any appeals to external organizations.

Dalhousie University said it had 2,328 residence rooms available in Halifax and they are now full, with priority given to Black, Mi'kmaq or disabled students. 

A spokesperson said an off-campus housing website and a channel on the Dalhousie app dedicated to rentals can help students find listings.