Year in, year out, Edinburgh’s student population is faced with a fresh dose of the housing crisis. Each September sees hundreds of students scrambling for lodgings in a narrowing circle of choice, as prices climb far beyond affordability and greater numbers are pushed to the outskirts of the city, where they exchange proximity to campus for the chance to find somewhere to live.
The growth of the problem does not seem to be slowing down. The 2023/24 Student Housing Crisis Survey, organized by student-run charity, Slurp, found that at the start of September, one in six undergraduates (excluding first years) were homeless, worsening to one in four for postgraduates. Among students with accessibility requirements, 56.9% arrived in Edinburgh with nowhere to live.
The realities of the problem are no secret among the student population, so justly, they are doing something about it. A collaboration between Slurp, Social Policy Society, and Edinburgh Labour Students will culminate in a panel held on Wednesday 6th November. EUSA VP Community Ruth Elliott and City of Edinburgh Councillor James Dalgleish will join the student societies to inform attendees of the realities of the housing market and their rights as renters, and to discuss ways to overcome the crisis. This will include new insights about the possibilities offered by the recent Renters Reform Bill.
The evening will be discussion-based, and will invite members of the audience to question the panel.
As one of the key players in organizing the panel, Edinburgh Labour Students are eager to highlight the scale of the crisis to those experiencing it, and to spread knowledge of potential solutions and available support systems. According to ELS Publicity Officer, Xavier Cottrell-Boyce, “combating and highlighting inequality is a core principle of our party and mission as a student society. We strongly believe that this is an issue which affects everyone, regardless of party politics.”
Social Policy Society is equally enthusiastic about the opportunity that events like these present. President of SocPolSoc, Kate Anderson, foresees that the panel will “accelerate this essential conversation on the housing crisis in Edinburgh, circulate key actions happening now for those who would like to get more involved, and ensure attendees are aware of their housing rights.” Anderson encourages students to take action, by learning about the circumstances of the rental market, and joining student activism surrounding the issue. “We hope this event inspires people to sign the open letter by panellist and EUSA Vice President Community, Ruth Elliot, to hold the University accountable for its role in the housing crisis, and encourage people to join the Freeze Student Rents demonstration on the 13th. Students’ voices must be heard in this community.”
The amplification of students’ own voices in this debate is high priority. For many students, it can feel as though they are overlooked by the larger forces at play in the rental market, and as though they are obliged to accept whatever lodgings they can get, regardless of the conditions. At Wednesday’s panel, EUSA VP Community Ruth Elliott is keen to share the experiences of students who have reached out to her as a Sabbatical Officer and through The Advice Place.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to speak with the Councillor about the challenges students are facing, and convey that students are not an “other” part of the city’s population. My position in student, University and city spaces, such as the University Court and this housing panel, places me in a strategic position to lobby the University and other influential bodies.”
The Edinburgh City Council will be represented by Councillor James Dalgleish, who will inform guests and panellists about the logistics of implementing real change through local government policy. Dalgleish reports that the Council already engages with universities, student representatives and politicians through the Student Housing Engagement Forum, which opens a conversation between those affected and those best placed to make a difference. For Dalgleish, a collaborative approach is the best way forward.
“Edinburgh Council already has some dialogue with the student body and other stakeholders through the Student Housing Engagement Forum. However I think there is always potential for more opportunities to work together, which I would welcome. No individual group will have all the answers to the problems facing students, or all the ideas to create better outcomes. That is why it is so essential to collaborate together, from ordinary students to the heads of universities, and many more.”
The panel presents an opportunity for students to join the conversation, understand their entitlements and raise their concerns. Student are invited to attend the event, held in the Usha Kahera Lecture Theatre, in Old College, at 6:30pm on Wednesday 6th November.
Photo by Kirsten Drew on Unsplash.