Quote:
Originally Posted by FarmerHaight
So what Vancouver really needs is a much larger supply of small and cheap, but slightly higher quality boarding house rooms to meet the demands of international students so that these hotel rooms can stay on the market for those who truly need them.
I am a big fan of building more missing middle housing with a mix of unit sizes all across the city. But what about the construction of buildings akin to hostels, with small private rooms and shared kitchens and bathrooms aimed at students?
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As there seems to be an acknowledgement that there have been too many international students attending both public and private educational institutions, and a
reduction in the number of new student visas, the demand from that source should drop in future.
UBC has been adding a lot of student housing, which
they describe as leasing at 'below market' with a studio renting at $1,380 a month, and $1,142 for a bedroom in a 4-bed suite.
I don't think any of the SRO replacement social housing projects under construction have communal bathrooms, and neither do the studios at UBC. They do have communal kitchens. Without heavy subsidies, nobody can build units that rent at welfare rates, or replace SRO rooms with social housing (the topic of this thread). During the Vancouver City Council meeting about housing targets, City staff suggested there might be a big move coming on SROs. We know BC Housing have recently been buying some, and that a few are already being replaced (like
the Shaldon, and
the Balmoral). The replacements will probably like all the other new non-market housing buildings, with all units having a bathroom.
I'm not sure what the internal arrangements are in any of the
GEC international student residences, but I think they also have suites or studios, like UBC.