University housing should ease rental pressure

The off-campus rental market in the BC city of Kamloops should be eased by new housing being built at the Thompson Rivers University.

The additional access to affordable housing for students, including those with families, is part of the provincial government’s 30-point housing plan and will create 533 homes for students.

“We’re opening the door to opportunity, by helping people find an affordable place to call home, while they pursue their studies,” said Premier John Horgan. “Building student housing will help young people, families and people from neighbouring communities access post-secondary education and skills training.”

The TRU project is the first of many that will be implemented at campuses across British Columbia and Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, says that the $37 million TRU development will benefit the wider community.”

“At the end of the day, the benefits of this investment will be felt by the entire community. More on-campus spaces for students will increase the availability of rental housing in the wider community, and that will help improve the affordability of rental housing for everyone in Kamloops,” she said.

TRU is buying Upper College Heights, a six-building private rental complex with 391 student homes with the help of the province. There will be an additional 142 student homes built on the site, which also includes an additional 3.4 hectares (8.4 acres) that can be used for creating more student housing in the future.

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