– It took ten seconds, then everything was gone. The managing director of the Student Union in Stavanger (SiS), Elisabeth Faret, stands outside 70 new student residences at the campus in Stavanger. When the flats were made available to students, they were torn down. The reason is a long waiting list of students who want student accommodation. All the apartments in this building disappeared ten seconds after they were advertised, says Elisabeth Faret, managing director of SiS. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news According to the Swedish Cooperation Council, around 17,000 students across the country are now on such waiting lists. – I think this is very regrettable, and it is a situation we cannot be aware of, says chairman of the Samskipnadsrådet, Hans Erik Stormoen. * The student union in Trondheim no longer has waiting lists, but in 2019 the waiting list was around 3,000. This is included in the total when the Confederation Council now says that there is a total of around 17,000 in the queue. Considering hotels At the same time, many people find the private rental market difficult. – It seems completely hopeless. The start of studies is in 15 days, says 22-year-old Mohammed Mousa from Tønsberg, who will now start a bachelor’s in political science at the University of Stavanger. Now he is considering hotels. In that case, he has to use the money he has set aside to work as a weight throughout the summer. – I have worked a lot to get into the study, so I would actually rather pay for a hotel for a few months than let it go beyond the study, says Mousa, and adds that he is not the only student who considers this. No nip at Finn news has previously told about how the ONS oil fair makes it extra difficult to rent an apartment on the private market in Stavanger in August. The chairman of the Confederation Council, Hans Erik Stormoen, is not satisfied with the long waiting lists. Photo: Anette Skafjeld / news Mousa also trawls Finn in his house hunt. Something that has turned out to present challenges, at least when he has seen a ceiling of NOK 9,000 a month. – I have sent an inquiry for well over 20 Finn adverts, but only received a reply from one. He said that he had many others who were interested, so I doubt that I will get it, says the student. Want more support from the state According to Hans Erik Stormoen, chairman of the Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions, the latest figures show that there is a shortage of student housing in Norway. If Mousa ends up in a hotel, he calls it tragic. – It should not be like this in our society that you have to live in a hotel to study, says Stormoen. He believes the state must contribute more to increase the pace of construction. The new student residences on campus in Stavanger accommodate a number, but hundreds are still on waiting lists. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Today, the state supports a third of the student housing in big cities that costs one million kroner or less to build. Rising construction costs means that this financing model must be changed, Stormoen believes. – We expect Borten Moe to address this, so that we can realize even more housing with as low a rent as possible for the students, says Stormoen. Have to take responsibility yourself Education Minister Ola Borten Moe (Sp) says the following to news about this: – The government wants to increase the number of newly built student residences from just over 1,000 to 3,000 a year, says the minister. Ola Borten Moe (Sp) is minister for research and higher education. Photo: Torstein Bøe Nevertheless, he believes that the student associations must take a lot of the blame for having ended up in a situation with too few student housing. – The companies are doing well, and they have 5 billion in equity. They could have built many more homes if they wanted to, but they haven’t, he says. He says the Associations have used the money for other things, such as e.g. to develop welfare offers on campuses. – That’s fine, but it’s a choice the students make. Then you can’t just come and say that the state will pay even more, says Moe. Stormoen does not share this view, but is happy to have a meeting with the minister on the subject. – The cooperatives also build student housing with their own funds when we see that it is the only way to get housing built, he says.
ttn-69
17,000 students in line to get student housing – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
