What Your Institution Can Do About The Student Housing Crisis

Research shows that students who live on campus are more engaged than those who don’t. That’s why housing administrators across the country do what they can to get as many students as possible in campus housing projects.

However, the demand for affordable student housing has outpaced supply. This has led to a housing shortage, which universities everywhere are struggling to deal with.

In this article, we take a closer look at the student housing crisis and what your school can do to help students. Keep reading to learn more.

The Student Housing Crisis: An Overview

The student housing crisis is the result of two trends working together. First, student enrollment has outpaced housing growth for the last decade. In other words, schools are increasing enrollment faster than they’re building new housing for students.

Considering this, it’s unavoidable that some students will have to look elsewhere for affordable housing. The problem is they’re struggling to find it, as the average U.S. rent has increased by nearly 20% in the last three years alone.

If a member of your student body can’t find on-campus college housing and can’t afford off-campus rent, they may not have any stable housing option available to them. This is a major reason why California currently has thousands of homeless students.

The housing crisis is a serious concern for students across the country, but you’re not powerless against it if you work in campus housing. There are ways to ease the burden on students and provide more accessible housing options. We cover some of these below.

Strategies For Mitigating the Housing Crisis

Your first step is getting some insight into how the housing crisis is impacting students on campus. If you know how many students want student housing but can’t secure it, you can use that figure to inform your next steps.

For example, if you have 1,000 students who apply for campus housing but can't secure it, then your strategy for providing more housing to students should try to accommodate as close to this number as possible.

Here are some steps you can take to fix your housing issues and keep more students on campus.

Collaborative Partnerships

If housing students were as easy as building new units, you wouldn’t be reading this article. Unfortunately, limited budgets, space restrictions, and other obstacles often get in the way of a school building new housing for students.

One way to work around some of these issues is by bringing in third-party partners to support your housing initiatives. That could be a developer who’s willing to pay some of your upfront housing costs, nearby community colleges with extra housing they can share, or a partnership with a brand to offset some costs.

For example, you could feature a local business in your rec rooms in a sponsorship deal. Other brands may be willing to pay a fee for exclusive rights to sell their products in the new building you’re constructing.

The bottom line is that if costs keep you from building new university housing, you may have more options for lowering them than you expect. Exploring these can be an avenue toward building closer housing sites and solving your housing problems.

Innovative Housing Solutions

There may also be alternative housing options for students that can meet your needs. You can get creative with the space you have to try to fit more students into your units throughout the school year.

For example, you can set up micro-unit housing or housing pods with shared amenities. These may not be ideal for every student, but they can be an alternative and cheaper option for those who need it.

You could also consider flexible housing arrangements with shorter leases than usual or even temporary housing solutions like repurposed shipping containers and modular units.

Financial Aid And Support Programs

Your best option in some cases might be to provide financial support directly to students who need it. 

For example, you can offer rent subsidies or vouchers to students who can't get on-campus housing. You can also collaborate with local housing authorities to find solutions for unhoused students.

Another alternative is getting more flexible with financial aid packages. If a student receives money for housing, you could give them the option of increasing that amount to match any extra rent they have to pay as a result of not having on-campus housing options. That way, the student can afford a home, and your department won’t have to provide one for them for the time being.

Community Engagement And Advocacy

The housing crisis not only impacts universities but also affects entire communities. Yours may be willing to help out.

You could host a town hall or community forum to discuss the housing issue in your area. These are opportunities for collaborative problem-solving that can help you come up with solutions you might not find on your own.

It’s also possible that people in the community will step up and offer some of their resources to fix this problem. For example, you could reach out to your alumni to see if they are willing to help or have an unexpected solution that could work.

The point is you don’t have to solve this problem alone. There may be people in your community who have the means and will to help your public university or private college solve the housing issue.

How Housing.Cloud Can Help

Another way to solve the student housing crisis in your area is to reduce inefficiencies in the student housing process. For example, early move-outs and poor roommate matches can leave empty spaces that other students may be unable to take advantage of if you don’t have the right system in place.

That’s why it’s important to choose a housing software with features that align with your needs. Housing.Cloud fits the bill with its customizable forms, synced data streams, and user-friendly interface for students.

Want to learn more about how Housing.Cloud can help solve your student housing crisis? Sign up for a free demo today.