SASKATOON – The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) is expecting international student numbers to more than double over the next two years.
But finding accommodation for the influx of students is proving difficult and it has led SIAST to engage the help of the Canada Homestay Network (CHN) to help provide housing.
Currently 194 international students are studying at SIAST throughout the province with many struggling to find a place to stay.
“With the low vacancy rates in the province and in some of the cities, the students were having difficulty finding places to live when they arrived,” said SIAST Manager of International Education, Jason Mazzei.
With those student numbers expected to increase to more than 450 in the next two years, SIAST is calling on local families to help.
“We are looking for a substantial number of families, it’s not just any family though,” said Canada Homestay Network Relationship Manager, Kaitlyn Landeryou.
“We’re looking for the right family, it’s the kind of family that if you were to send your child abroad you’d feel comfortable being with that family,”
Robert and Donna Schmeiser have been welcoming foreign students into their home for more than four years and say it’s an incredibly rewarding experience.
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“My kids were getting older and they weren’t around as much and it sounds odd but I love the idea of having lots of life and laughter in the home and I thought why not we’ve got lots of spare bedrooms lets have another student in the house,” said Mrs. Schmeiser.
As a host family is required to accommodate a student for at least eigth weeks, that could then be extended for the entire school year.
The network provides a stipend of up to 700 dollars a month to cover costs.
Families must be able to provide a private furnished bedroom as well as regular meals.
“This is an opportunity to share your home but at the same time we don’t want it to be costing these host families anything financially,” said Landeryou.
“It’s a means of sharing what it is that we get to experience living here and it opens up your life to new experiences and to learning different things,” said Mr Schmeiser.
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