Students with ‘nowhere else to go’ call on city for housing help [Video]

A report conducted by the student union found that students can’t afford housing. Representatives were invited to present it at city council’s housing and planning committee.

Post-secondary students in Ottawa are calling on the city to take action after a report revealed many are paying sky-high rent to live in dingy, crowded conditions amid a worsening housing crisis.

The University of Ottawa Student Union (UOSU) and its housing committee surveyed more than 600 students and drew conclusions from 410 responses to compile its student housing caucus report.

Coun. Jeff Leiper, who chairs the city’s housing and planning committee, invited UOSU representatives to present their findings at city hall on Wednesday.

According to the report, students are paying an average rent of $927 per month — $1,020 per month for those renting from corporate landlords.

Leiper, who said he was “compelled” by the report’s depth of research, said it accurately captures …