I asked UFV students on campus how they are housed now and what they think their housing situation will look like in the future. I aimed to get a sense of their ideas, hopes, and fears.
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Student A: Isaac Neufeld / Regional and Community Planning
“I don’t feel like I’ll be able to own a house for a long while. I feel like the typical ‘American dream’ or I guess ‘Canadian dream’ of owning a house in the suburbs and whatnot is not really feasible anymore, which, I mean, I’m fine with. I don’t want to live in a house in the suburbs anyways. I feel like houses will get smaller, which is just something we will have to live with — that’s what we will be able to afford… In terms of my foreseeable 20s, I honestly wouldn’t really want to live on my own. I feel like that would get really boring and lonely, so living with roommates doesn’t seem like a bad option.”
Student B: Samantha Walmsley / Child and Youth Care
“I live with my parents but I do have to pay for my own bills and groceries. Even with that, it’s really expensive and I’m not sure how or when I would even be able to move out because everywhere I look it either doesn’t include utilities or it includes utilities but it’s an unlivable price. Not to mention, a lot of the work that I do outside of school is minimum wage… I would love to try to own a home but that is definitely impossible… My hope for my 20s is to move out with my boyfriend and live maybe in a basement suite, but I can’t see that happening until my mid, maybe early 30s, if anything.”
Student C: Rachael Clarke / Biology
“I’m pretty pessimistic about the housing situation lately. I’m still living with my parents, not paying rent, which is amazing… but I’ve been working for the last year a bit, and I haven’t been able to save up anything from the work that I’ve been doing. It’s all going to tuition and bills… I’m hoping, when I get full time and I’m not paying tuition anymore, I can save up some more; but it’s gonna be quite a while for sure.”
Student D: Olivia Girgis / Psychology
“I currently live in Langley in a condo that I don’t know how we afford. I probably will not live there for much longer and probably won’t stay in B.C. ’cause it’s physically impossible, I think, to own a place, which I would love to do. But also the concept of owning a place… people don’t pay off their mortgages until they’re 60 and that’s just so sad — that you don’t really own anything until you’re pretty much croaking… I don’t even know if I want to own anything, but renting also kind of sucks, so the whole housing process is not a vibe to me, but I think it’s less of a vibe in B.C.”
Student E: Juvraj Singh / Computer Information Systems
“Of course no one likes the prices right now, except for the landlords… I just want to finish off my studies but the entire housing situation just feels like a huge burden, especially on students who are on loan over here. Any student who is well off from their parents can just buy a house and then make the other students pay for their house rent… I really feel like things are never going to get better.”
Kiara Okonkwo is a writer and creative. She received a diploma in Screenwriting from Vancouver Film School and is pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Media and Communication Studies. Kiara values self-expression and authenticity.
