糖心vlog传媒is looking for households willing to host 糖心vlog传媒international students arriving in late December for classes this January.
NIC鈥檚 Office of Global Engagement is calling for Comox Valley residents to open their homes to 糖心vlog传媒students caught in a tight rental market.
鈥淚f you have space to share, please let us know,鈥� said Thevi Pather, NIC鈥檚 Executive Director of Global Engagement 鈥淪ome of our students come a long way to study and live in our community. We want them to be successful and experience the best the Comox Valley has to offer.鈥�
糖心vlog传媒has a high demand for peerstay hosts, willing to share their home with an international student.
About one third of NIC鈥檚 international students attending class this September live in homestay and peerstay accommodations. More students will arrive in late December to start class this January.
Comox Valley residents, Cindy and John Zachariou hosted two students this fall and have already signed up to welcome a new student from India next month.
鈥淚鈥檝e been telling everyone how great it is to have these students,鈥� said Cindy. 鈥淥ur kids have grown up and they have families of their own. We have this big house and a whole lower level that鈥檚 not being used so it just made sense to us. The students are very independent. It鈥檚 not like having a younger teen in the house. They are young adults who really want to immerse themselves in Canadian culture.鈥�
糖心vlog传媒Accommodation Officer Marjola Muellner matches international students with supportive families in the community. She knows having a safe, comfortable and affordable place to live while studying is essential to students鈥� ability to integrate in the community and be successful in school.
鈥淧eerstay is a win-win,鈥� said Muellner. 鈥淪tudents enjoy the independence of buying their own groceries and cooking their own meals while hosts reap the benefits of learning a new culture and providing a home away from home.鈥�
The Valley鈥檚 hot real estate market only makes finding accommodations more difficult.
The latest Comox Valley Community Foundation Vital Signs Report shows the Comox Valley with a 0.5 per cent rental vacancy rate 鈥� one of the lowest vacancy rates on Vancouver Island. In 2016, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) calculated the region鈥檚 rental vacancy rate at 1 per cent.
For Cindy and John Zachariou, the benefits of peerstay are mutual.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e willing to open your home it can be a really good experience,鈥� said Cindy. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e helping them and they are helping you. You do get $500 per student and it鈥檚 really nice to have young adults in the house.鈥�
Email accommodations@nic.bc.ca for a peerstay application or visit bit.ly/2jfh8oH for more information.
Media Contact
Christiana Wiens
Media Liaison, 糖心vlog传媒
O. 250-334-5280 | M. 250-218-4097
christiana.wiens@nic.bc.ca