Every year it becomes increasingly difficult to find houses or apartments. As a student preparing to move to Charlottetown and attend the University of Prince Edward Island, it was very difficult to find somewhere to live. It took me over a year of religiously searching before I found a place to stay. The housing crisis is bad enough that anyone interested in living on the Island have little to no luck finding secure and reliable housing. Like me, many people have to settle for less space than they need for a higher price. When looking for a two-bedroom apartment for myself and one of my friends, the few options that were available were drastically overpriced, some as much as $3,000 for a one bedroom. When I finally found something, I was renting a bedroom out of someone’s house for the same price that my brother rented a bachelor apartment in Moncton. Students are especially struggling. Hundreds of students look for apartments in the same months every year. They are all looking for close to campus, and (for the most part) affordable on student loans. The housing crisis is only supposed to get worse, leaving no light at the end of the tunnel. All we can do is hope that at some point either there will be enough living space available, or that the need for housing will decrease until there are more houses available than people needing houses.
Brittney Leeman (UPEI student),
North Lake, N.B.