As Kamloops housing crisis continues, international, new, and returning TRU students are left searching for affordable units

TRU students face many problems during the summer months as they fight to secure housing for the upcoming school year. First-year and new international students require housing but, unfortunately, finding it isn’t as easy as it once was. Drastic measures have been taken by the school in order to house students.

“Camp like” structures called modular dormitories were implemented in early 2021 to attempt to combat this major issue. Kristen Holliday, a local journalist states “Thompson Rivers University is moving forward with plans for temporary modular units on campus to be used for student housing, but building permits for the project have yet to be issued, according to the city.” These decisions have raised questions about the safety and living conditions of students on campus. Measures like this are the unfortunate truth for TRU students as we deal with limited housing, increased inflation, and the rise of rent.

(Apartments for rent on TRU campus, Photo by Michael Friesen)

“Although inflation has dropped from the past year’s historic highs, the cost of living across B.C. continues to increase rapidly,” senior economist and lead report author Iglika Ivanova said in a press release. Though prices have dropped in recent years in terms of things like gas, housing can be a different story. Rental rates in Kamloops haven’t followed this trend.

Because the cost of living is higher, this affects things like grocery stores, restaurants, and retail stores. Students at TRU are expressing their concerns when it comes to this topic. Conor Vanden-Huevel, a fourth-year Business student has been battling the issue of housing in Kamloops since his first year. Conor expressed his frustrations with the current situation by saying “In my first year I couldn’t get into residence due to limited space, this made me search for other places to live in Kamloops. I’ve looked at lots of potential places though the large majority are either too expensive for my budget, too far away from campus, or too small for my needs.” This shows the harsh reality that students are facing when they plan to attend TRU.

Conor goes on and states “In my second year, I was living in a studio apartment in a complex near campus. I kept the place from my second year going into my third. The landlords increased the rent from $1,100 to $1,300 just over the course of a year.” It’s impossible to tell when price increases will stop or slow for residents of Kamloops. Price increases as a result of inflation mean that new residents are less likely to call Kamloops home. This will create things like understaffed businesses and less income overall for the city of Kamloops. Pressing issues in Kamloops like parking, homelessness, and forest fires may not get addressed with the funds and backing that they would if the population was steady.

This graph displays inflation rates and the differences between TRU housing vs the Kamloops market. It’s important to note the staggering 50% inflation increase since 2018 and 2019. This puts the major inflation problem into perspective. While TRU housing has also been affected by inflation, it has not been nearly as bad as the Kamloops market. Since 2018, the TRU residency rates have increased 17.7%, and while still large, they are nowhere near the rates of the Kamloops market. The problem with TRU housing is the limited occupancy, meaning affordable housing isn’t available to every student.

(TRU vs Kamloops Market Housing Graph From: https://www.tru.ca/__shared/assets/Student_Housing_Update_presentation56092.pdf)

While Canadians and students are facing these problems, there is some hope. Inflation rates have been slowly regressing and new regulations are being put in place by the municipal government to combat the housing crisis. Only time will tell what this means for TRU students.

With the upcoming 2024 provincial election, there is some hope for students. Housing is at the forefront of issues currently in B.C., and this issue cannot be ignored by the candidates. Plans for affordable housing are included in all of their campaigns. As the election gets underway there is hope for new regulations and initiatives to be put in place by the new premiere. Coming to Kamloops to work or attend TRU now poses a major financial problem. This problem becomes even worse for international students as they are forced to pay higher tuition. While the rates of inflation seem to be on a more sustainable trajectory, housing for TRU students and residents of Kamloops seems to only be coming more of an issue.

(BMO located in the Summit Village Market. Photo by Michael Friesen)