Georgian College is helping students in Owen Sound find housing with a new online platform.
Campus Executive Director Dave Shorey says the college is working with the platform SpacesShared to match prospective landlords with students in the area.
“SpacesShared is a platform that people can opt to participate in. Right now we operate a residence in Owen Sound and there is a number of folks that are renting out apartments,” says Shorey. “There is a number of different housing needs, in particular for those students that are enrolled in one, two, three, and four-year programs on our campus, they are looking for housing that is safe, that is closer to campus, that supports them in being able to get to and from their studies.”
The online service was launched this past week ahead of the college bringing in 300 new first-year students this fall.
In addition to providing extra income to residents in the community, as part of the service, students can complete chores around the home to earn a five per cent helpers discount to their rent.
“This is another way in which it helps folks that are looking for additional support at the aging home and it also helps the student keep costs down,” says Shorey.
Students also go through a vetting process to make sure they are a right fit for the landlord.
Shorey adds this service comes to Owen Sound after the college undertook a pilot last year at its Barrie campus.
“We were able to try this platform out. There is something that is really compelling about it, I think it’s quite true to what Georgian is about and what Grey Bruce is about,” says Shorey.
He says while SpacesShared does not define what rent should look like, they saw rent between $500 to $800 a month during the Barrie pilot.
“The preference being that we keep things affordable for students so they can continue in their studies through to graduation,” says Shorey.
People in the community looking to rent out a space for post-secondary students can apply online here. The college will be waiving the fee for local landlords to post listings until Nov. 15.
