With the start of classes just around the corner, students across the Okanagan are looking for a place to live.

It’s a situation made even more challenging for students from outside the Okanagan who are planning to attend Okanagan College.

Students like 19-year-old Joshua Kutney will soon be moving to Kelowna from Ontario to take University Transfer studies.

He says despite getting help from OC’s office of the Regional Dean, he has had a difficult time finding accommodations.

“I’m not the kind of guy who gets stressed out easily but I am starting to get a bit worried about where I’m going to stay. I plan on being in Kelowna on September 1 to be ready for school and may have to stay in a motel for a while until I can find something,” says Kutney.

Okanagan College’s Central Okanagan Regional Dean, Heather Schneider, says many students are struggling to connect with landlords and housing in Kelowna.

“There is a real housing crunch in Kelowna right now and a lot of our students are dealing with the situation. There is currently no space in our residences and housing in Kelowna is scarce and expensive,” says Schneider.

A partnership has been formed between OC and Castanet to create a new listing service in the hopes of connecting landlords and student renters by posting available suites, rooms, apartments and houses that may be suitable for students.

Link: Castanet's student housing listings