With over 5,000 incoming first-year students and around 4,740 beds available in Queen’s residences, a handful of first-year students are forced to seek off-campus housing options.
Students who were sent an offer of ission on or before April 15 were guaranteed residence for the 2024-25 academic year, the University said in a statement to The Journal. Students accepted after April 15 were put in a lottery for access to residence, the University added.
While 90 per cent of first-year students were guaranteed residence, the students who were denied access to university housing scrambled to find off campus housing. Few students sought out advice on social media.
“I’m a first-year [student] that didn’t get residency. What should I do? I’m searching on [Facebook] also,” one said on Reddit.
Even students who were guaranteed residence like Kyra Ferko, ArtSci ’28, took to Facebook to find an off-campus house in the University district.
Ferko was concerned she wouldn’t get her room of choice after receiving a late time slot for residence selection. First-year students receive a randomized time to pick their preferred residence and those with later times have less options for rooms, often assigned unknown roommates.
While it was difficult for Ferko to find an off-campus house, with students usually g leases by the end of April, she managed to find a place to stay.
The University aims to make the hunt for housing easier for first-year students like Ferko.
“The University is planning to gradually increase residence capacity through renovations, and we are also planning to increase the amount of university-owned student housing, off campus,” the University said.
Bill 185, the Cutting Red Tape To Build More Homes Act, will give Ontario universities almost complete freedom to build residences and other campus buildings fast. The provincial bill ed on June 6.
Helping the University guarantee residence for all first-year students is a goal for the AMS, Dreyden George, AMS commissioner of external affairs, said in an interview with The Journal. He’s also ing second, third, and fourth-year students.
A priority for George is to enhance upper-year community housing using the relocating to the JDUC this fall. The HRC provides students with advice on leases, disagreements with landlords, and subletting. They help students find adequate housing amid the shortage.
Although the JDUC will not be ready in August, the 90-room residence attachment will still welcome students.
The AMS is also working with the City of Kingston and City councillor for Sydenham Conny Glenn to tackle housing concerns.
To address the housing shortage, the City is encouraging the development of student housing by giving tax incentives and breaks to developers who build apartments and housing units in the next two years, Glenn said in an interview with The Journal.
Corrections
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Dreyden George as the AMS commissioner of internal affairs. In fact, George is the AMS commissioner of external affairs.
Incorrect information appeared in the July 29 issue of The Queen’s Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
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