Affordable, accessible, good-quality housing is one of the primary concerns of graduate students. Housing in Toronto can be very expensive, especially close to campus. Many students pay well over thirty percent of their income on housing, which is considered the maximum to stay out of poverty. Unfortunately, neither the university administration nor the government is properly addressing this issue.

The University’s Task Force on Student Housing, with which the GSU has closely worked, has taken important steps in recognizing the need for quality, accessible, student housing. Yet due to concerns over increased undergraduate enrolment, the administration has placed graduate student housing and family housing (which affects significant numbers of grad students) low on its priority list – and this with a current average wait of 1.5 years for family housing and only slightly more than 600 on-campus grad student residence spaces!

The government has done little to help solve this pressing problem. The provincial Tories effectively eliminated spending for affordable housing, arguing that the private sector would provide this housing if given the right incentives. Not surprisingly, the private sector has found high-end units more lucrative.

If you have housing questions or concerns, please contact us at info.gsu@utoronto.ca

LINKS:

• Homes4tudents.ca is the Canadian Federation of Students' official FREE national registry for student housing listings.
  
  
• UofT Student Housing Service, has off-campus housing listings as well as info on the Student Family Housing Apartments at 30-35 Charles St. W. (416) 978-8045
  
  
• Landlord and Tenant Board, resolves disputes between residential landlords and tenants by providing public education, mediation and adjudication services in a fair and timely manner.
  
  
• Ontario Tenants Rights, web guide to Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Act, the Tenant Protection Act, tenants' rights, social justice, and rental housing issues.
  
  
• Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations, advocates for better rights for tenants