Selkirk College Appeals to Community for Housing
By Bob Hall
The buzz of learning will return to all Selkirk College campuses across the region in September, with students focused on career-ready programs and putting together the building blocks of their educational pathways. To help make the academic year a success, the regional post-secondary is reaching out to the community to help with housing.
The annual semester-start housing crunch is now underway with students scrambling to find safe and affordable places to live while they study and train. Community members willing to open up rooms, basement suites or any other suitable accommodation is urgently needed.
“The benefits of having a vibrant post-secondary in our communities are clear, we are educating a future workforce that will contribute significantly to our region and beyond,” says Allison Alder, one of the college’s Deans.
“In order to graduate learners in areas like the trades, health care, early childhood education, the forest industry and all of the other amazing programs we offer, it’s imperative that we include the entire community in these outcomes. Housing is at the top of the list of services where we need some external assistance.”
The college provides on-campus housing options at both its Castlegar Campus and Tenth Street Campus in Nelson, but it’s not enough. Construction continues on 150 new housing units on both the Castlegar Campus and Nelson’s Silver King Campus, two additional facilities that will be ready for students in September 2024.
Renting to college students brings many benefits that go beyond the monthly boost to the bank account.
With secure housing, both international and domestic students are able to focus on the task-at-hand. Gratitude arrives in bunches, connections are built and shared outcomes are the reward as learners equip themselves with the tools for budding careers in almost every sector of society.
“Our communities have always been so welcoming, a remarkable factor that helps Selkirk College provide a truly unique post-secondary experience,” says Alder.
“People understand the importance of what we are doing here and the very existence of Selkirk College helps our region thrive. We hope more people want to get directly involved in this wonderful work by opening their homes to students.”
If you have available housing or would like more information, please contact info@selkirk.ca
