Prince Edward Island

Anderson House, Holland College feeling effects of tight Charlottetown rental market

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Most recent numbers indicate vacancy rate of less than 1% in the capital city

Groups and individuals in Charlottetown are feeling the effects of a low apartment vacancy rate. (CBC)

Mohamed Khashaba recently lost his Charlottetown apartment when a new owner decided to change the building into a business. Khashaba has found a temporary place to live for a month, but says the search for a new apartment that he can afford has been impossible.

"It's been frustrating, over 10 places no luck," said Khashaba.

And Khashaba is not alone in his frustration with Charlottetown's rental market. The most recent numbers from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show a vacancy rate in the city of less than one per cent, and many people and groups are feeling the pinch.

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'Every year is harder than the last'

The organization that runs Anderson House, the shelter for women dealing with domestic violence, says the housing shortage makes it difficult to help clients find suitable housing.

It's hard to help somebody when there are just very very few units posted. - Danya O'Malley, PEI Family Violence Prevention Services

"Every year is harder than the last. It was never easy, but now it's grown progressively more and more difficult," said Danya O'Malley, the executive director of PEI Family Violence Prevention Services, which runs the shelter.

O'Malley says most of the women Anderson House assists are low income, and many are on assistance.

Danya O'Malley says every year it becomes more and more difficult to find safe, affordable housing for Anderson House clients. (Laura Meader/CBC)

"It's hard to help somebody when there are just very very few units posted. And a lot of the units available have a very high rent and are just completely out of the realm of what's possible for the people that we help," O'Malley said.

Over the last several years, O'Malley says more women have had to stay at Anderson House beyond the typical three week maximum stay, because they don't have anywhere to go.

Holland College losing out on students

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The tight rental market is a concern for Holland College, too, which says it loses potential students because they can't find anywhere to live. A new residence will make it a bit easier, but it's already full for the upcoming academic year.

"We can market, we can recruit, and we can get students into programs. But if those students are travelling to get here, and they don't have accommodations and there's no place to live, then they won't be coming," said Michael O'Grady, vice-president innovation, enterprise and strategic development at Holland College.

"It's a big concern."

Michael O'Grady with Holland College says the college loses out on potential students because they can't find housing. (Laura Meader/CBC)

The province knows access to housing affects people and organizations. It also has about 1,100 people on its waiting list for subsidized housing.

"It's something we definitely recognize as an issue, and we are working on that, currently we are working on a provincial housing action plan," said Sonya Cobb, P.E.I.'s director of housing services.

That plan will be released next month, and Cobb says it includes building new affordable units, and almost doubling the number of rent supplement programs available.

More P.E.I. News

With files from Laura Meader