Warning of student housing crisis

The number of available SiO student housing units has fallen drastically since this time last year, according to statistics from SiO. Two years ago, there were four times as many available housing units than now, and this means that the queue for housing in the autumn is likely to reach record levels.

– We are afraid that we will experience an even worse situation than in the autumn of last year, says Tom Olstad, head of Student Housing.

Last year, 4700 applicants were on the SiO waiting list at the beginning of term. At that point, SiO had had 157 available units in April, compared to 220 in April of 2007. On the 16th of April this year, the foundation had just 57 housing units available. Olstad now warns that students who stake their bets on SiO at the beginning of next year will face difficulties.

– In the worst case, even more students will be left standing without an offer of housing from us in August. We fear that the numbers will be higher than last year, Olstad states.

He believes that there are several reasons for the increased pressure on SiO student housing.

– More applicants to higher education and a sharp rise in prices on the private market over the last few years has meant that more people are having difficulty covering the costs. This makes us a viable option for many, Olstad says.

Not unexpected

– It does not surprise me at all if the situation worsens next term, says leader of the National Union of Students in Norway (NSU) Ingvild Reymert.

– We have seen in recent years that queues have gotten longer and longer. Even with funds for almost 1300 student housing units in the national budget for 2009 and the crisis package, the problem has not been solved. The historical venture we had last year is great, but it should have come much sooner. A possible crisis is the result of too little having been done in the last 20 years, Reymert says.

Appropriations for 209 SiO housing units in this year’s national budget and the government’s crisis package will have a positive effect, but not in the autumn, as the housing will not be finished by then. Leader of the Welfare Council, the organ that runs SiO, Jenny Nygaard, does think however that there are reasons to be positive about the next few years.

– It is worrying that the number of available housing units has decreased so drastically since 2007, but taking advantage of the space already available is an ongoing project. We hope to begin building the student housing at Vestgrensa 2 during the course of the year. This means that 2010 is looking brighter, Nygaard says.