The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is partnering with SpacesShared for affordable student housing.
Kathy Wilson, UNB’s vice-provost of learning and student experience, said SpacesShared is a homesharing platform connecting Canadians with spare bedrooms to students and is tackling the housing crisis through community-focused homesharing.
“Through this thoughtful and verified matching process, we can ensure our students have access to safe, welcoming and supportive living, while also fostering connection and growth within Fredericton and Saint John,” said Wilson.
With SpacesShared, the company routinely verifies each host’s identity, the home address, and the fact that the host resides there. A criminal background check is performed on each host by the SpacesShared team before the finalization of the homesharing agreement.
Wilson also said students have the chance to reduce the cost of their rent by doing chores around the house, such as taking out the trash, shovelling snow or mowing the lawn.
SpacesShared CEO Rylan Kinnon said with inflation and an increase in loneliness, adults and seniors can address these issues while also helping the next generation achieve their goals.
“We know that opening your home up to a stranger can be hard – but if we’ve done our job right, your guests won’t feel like strangers for long. We created SpacesShared so you can make a connection for life, and we will help with that,” said Kinnon.
“If you’re interested in home-sharing, curious, or think it could be good for you, try it for a month. Try it for a semester, you might really enjoy it.”
The SpacesShared program is currently available on UNB’s Fredericton and Saint John campuses. Wilson said they are also exploring expanding it to the health sciences campuses in Moncton and Bathurst.
