North Island College is putting out a call for rental housing in the Comox Valley.
Like other communities in B.C., rental housing is scarce near the college.
The Comox Valley has a 0.5 per cent rental vacancy rates, even lower than Victoria’s 0.6 per cent.
“If you have space to share, please let us know,” Thevi Pather, North Island College’s executive director of global engagement, said in a statement Friday.
About one-third of the college’s 267 international students, who arrived in September, live with host families in accommodations that were co-ordinated with the college.
But many students want to be more independent and are looking for affordable rental space.
“We know people have space available that never makes it to an official listing,” Pather said.
College president John Bowman said students tend to be responsible and focused on their studies.
The college said a lack of affordable housing is not new. Between 2012 and 2014, a local hotel opened up a dozen suites for international students seeking long-term housing.
Camosun College made a similar request recently in a bid to find places for international students this term.
The Alliance of B.C. Students has been urging the province to step in. That group estimates there is a 20,000-bed shortfall in student housing in B.C.
Anyone with a room or an apartment to rent in the Comox Valley can email a free listing to: accommodations@nic.bc.ca.
