University of Niagara Falls is welcoming over 1,000 new students this fall; where are they going to live?

In January, the Ontario government announced that universities and colleges in the province will be required to guarantee housing options for all international students. It  was part of an effort to help support these incoming students while helping municipalities and social services across the province better prepare for a range of demands. 

“These actions will also ensure that we implement sensible policies that protect against worsening Ontario’s housing affordability issues. We need to ensure that students coming to study here have a place to live,” Jill Dunlop, Ontario’s Minister of Universities and Colleges stated in a press release.

The acknowledgement came as questions continue to be raised across Canada about the alarming lack of coordination by higher levels of government, particularly the federal Liberals, around policies that directly impact who enters the country and how, and where they will be housed. 

Niagara Region, like most communities across Canada, is dealing with an unprecedented housing crisis. Nearly 24,000 households (over 43,000 people) are in core housing need, meaning they are paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing or living in homes not suitable to their needs. The waitlists for subsidized units across the region’s municipalities are a decade on average for those over the age of 55, even longer for younger individuals. The number of people using regional shelter systems is increasing and homeless encampments continue to pop up as rental prices and home ownership are pushed further out of reach. 

Across Niagara Region’s municipalities, thousands of people are classified as in core housing need.

(Niagara Region)

The region’s social support system has also been tasked with assisting approximately 5,000 refugee and asylum seekers who arrived in the municipality over the last year, with their housing costs in a Niagara Falls hotel being paid for by the federal government.

“Every day in my office, I hear from constituents who are struggling to access housing. Whether it’s seniors who have been renovicted or families looking for affordable options, we know we have a crisis when it comes to housing in Niagara and across the province,” Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates told The Pointer.

The federal government has also taken steps to rein in the number of international students arriving in Canada. On January 24, 2024, it placed a two-year intake cap on applications due to the increasing numbers arriving in Canada.  

One of the reasons cited for the cap was the strain international students had on an already volatile housing market. 

For local elected officials in Niagara Falls the current situation has raised a number of concerns about the University of Niagara Falls and where its incoming students are going to live. 

At the July 16th city council meeting Councillor Lori Lococo tabled a Notice of Motion attempting to get further information about UNF’s ability to house these incoming students.

During a radio talk show appearance, Mayor Jim Diodati said that UNF is set to welcome 2,000 students in September (UNF did not confirm that figure), increasing to 10,000 students in five years. 

Lococo’s motion asks the City to inquire with UNF about the accommodation options available to these students and their families—those enrolled in Master's programs are eligible to bring their spouse and dependents with them—the timeline for building any new residences and the impacts these students could have on local healthcare, education and other social support systems. 

“After hearing that 2,000 students are enrolled at the University of Niagara Falls for September, I was concerned about where the students would live,” Councillor Lococo told The Pointer. “I reviewed some online groups and found many students looking for housing for families of three, four and five. I am also concerned about the stress that 2,000 plus people will put on our social services, health care and schools.”

The motion requested the City contact not only UNF, but Project Share, The Soup Kitchen, Salvation Army and The Third Space Cafe regarding any impact from international students and their families. It also requested staff reach out to Minister Dunlop for more information about the requirement for universities to provide housing options for international students. 

It’s unclear whether Burgess contacted the agencies requested by Councillor Lococo to inform his report. 

“I want to ensure that the University of Niagara Falls has the proper resources in place and that there is not a burden on the residents of Niagara Falls,” Lococo said. 

As part of Tuesday’s council agenda, a report from CAO Jason Burgess addresses Lococo’s concerns. 

Burgess states the number of anticipated students in the fall will be between 1,000 and 1,200, inclusive of those learning in-person, online or through a hybrid system. The City does not anticipate any strain to local social services as a result. 

“The vast majority of international students who come to study in Canada are financially prepared to meet their housing and living needs,” he said, adding that because the “bulk” of UNF students are enrolled in Masters programs, they “tend to be more financially self-sufficient compared to those enrolled in other bachelor level or other lower levels of academic programming.”

International students are required, as part of the application process, to show they have the minimum funds to meet the basic cost of living. Despite this, they face numerous barriers in the cities they arrive in, often relying on local social services for support. 

A food bank in the City of Brampton previously posted a sign stating that international students are not permitted to use their food bank based on the overwhelming numbers that were using the agency.

It’s an issue Mayor Jim Diodati expressed concern about after Niagara Falls accepted thousands of refugees and asylum seekers last year. 

Diodati claimed that local taxpayers were “out of pocket” because no federal aid was coming to the municipality to house the refugees. He expressed his exasperation with the situation stating, “Ontario Works, our schools, our soup kitchens, hospitals and health clinics are struggling because of the influx.”

A report released by the Region of Niagara last year stated that affordable housing stock was virtually non-existent, highlighting that asylum seekers would have a very difficult time finding available housing if they were forced to leave the hotels.

That report was circulated to all regional councilors, including Diodati, who was already aware of the dire housing situation in his municipality. 

But it does not appear Diodati has the same concerns with the thousands of students set to be enrolled at UNF.

The Pointer reached out to Mayor Diodati numerous times for comment for this story, but he did not respond. 

In terms of accommodations for students, Burgess notes that UNF has a 125-bed dormitory on Lundy’s Lane offering “affordable” double and single units. There are plans for a second site to be made available for the Fall, but no further details are offered. 

Images from UNF showing the single and double room options available at the Lundy’s Lane student residence.

(UNF)

Masters students at UNF could create a unique problem for the municipality.  Once a student study permit is approved for a masters program, these students can bring their immediate family to Canada with them as a visitor. That includes their spouse or common law partner, and dependent children under the age of 22. This means it may not just be students seeking housing. There will be families looking for apartments or houses to rent in a market where that has become almost impossible for locals.

The need for larger accommodation has become evident on the various social media sites where international students coming to UNF are posting that they are bringing their families and looking for housing. 

Posts appearing in Facebook groups as students hunt for housing near University of Niagara Falls.

(Facebook)

It is clear UNF did not draft a comprehensive housing strategy ahead of its launch in the spring of this year. 

On April 8th, UNF announced it welcomed its first 60 students into two graduate programs: Master of Data Analytics and Master of Management.

It is unclear whether these 60 students were physically attending in-class sessions. The university offers in-person, online and hybrid learning models, but UNF did not provide a breakdown of how many students are learning in each option.

In February, ahead of UNF’s launch, The Pointer spoke with David Gray, Vice President and Provost of UNF about housing options given their target market is international students that will have to find housing in Niagara Falls in the midst of a housing crisis.

“Housing is something we have to take into account. We want to be a solution to the community, not a problem,” Gray said. “That’s why we are working so closely with the city council because we want to ensure that we are growing in a responsible way.”

Gray said the university has a full time housing coordinator, whose job is to work with students to identify accommodations in the area.

The UNF website directs potential students to three external housing services: 4Stay, Spaces Shared and Niagara Homestay and International Student Services

UNF also directs students to other options including: Kijji, Apartments.com, Rentboard, Zolo, and Rentals.ca  

Gray said he did not believe students would have a hard time finding available housing, admitting that while certain types of housing were sparse, other options exist. 

“Those platforms we are using are particularly looking for where families have a bedroom or something in the house that they would like to make available to a student which may not necessarily be okay for someone else who has a job or something, but would be okay for a student who is here for three terms and then perhaps go away for a period. They are open to offering them that opportunity,” he explained. “It’s a way that we can partner and pair up students with community members and so the residential fees or the cost of that goes back into the community.” 

At no point during The Pointer’s interview with Gray did he acknowledge that the University of Niagara Falls has a student housing plan other than directing their students to the external companies and local websites. 

It remains unclear whether the residence on Lundy’s Lane will be suitable for the number of students arriving this fall. 

The Lundy’s Lane location is a former motel that applied to the Committee of Adjustment in March for a minor variance. 

The public notice circulated in the area stated the location was looking to convert the building from a motel to residential uses with a commercial use in the existing motel office. The notice does not make it clear that the motel is being converted to student housing. 

The Pointer reached out to the Region of Niagara to ask if the Region was working with the City of Niagara Falls to create a student housing strategy. 

Cheryl Selig, Strategic Initiatives Manager, Strategic Transformation Office responded:

“The Region is currently working with the housing system, educational institutions and other impacted parties to develop a student housing report as part of our broader attainable housing strategy.”

While that offers some small assurance that the problem is at least being addressed at the Region, it provides no answers as to why the City of Niagara Falls did not insist the University of Niagara Falls or GUS have a student housing plan before classes started and students started arriving in the city.

These questions will become more pertinent as UNF continues to grow. 

Cindy McLeod, the CEO of Global University Systems—the operator of UNF—projected in August 2023 that UNF would have 8,000 to 10,000 students within 5 to 7 years. It’s unclear whether the cap on international students will impact these projections. 

On March 27, 2024 the Ford government announced that 96 percent of international study permits would go to public colleges and universities with the remaining 4 percent to be split between language schools, private universities and other institutions across the province. 

The Pointer reached out to UNF asking if this four percent allocation of permits to private colleges and universities would result in a change in their business plan or prospect to build student housing in the future. 

A representative of the university responded “there will be no change in our business model or future plans as a result of the government's decision.” 

The government's decision did not affect international students coming to do a Masters Program.

Email: [email protected]

At a time when vital public information is needed by everyone, The Pointer has taken down our paywall on all stories to ensure every resident of Brampton, Mississauga and Niagara has access to the facts. For those who are able, we encourage you to consider a subscription. This will help us report on important public interest issues the community needs to know about now more than ever. You can register for a 30-day free trial HERE. Thereafter, The Pointer will charge $10 a month and you can cancel any time right on the website. Thank you