Student accommodation crisis in Athlone ‘never as bad’: SU

The student accommodation crisis “has never been so bad”, according to the president of the Technological University of the Shannon; Midlands, Midwest Student’s Union.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent, Áine Daly said that the main issue appears to be with the lack of digs accommodation in both Athlone and other campus towns of the TU, which were a “safety net” for students for several years.

“Three years ago I was the vice president for welfare and accommodation, and at that time accommodation listings were drying up,” Áine said. “We did a big push for local people to provide digs which worked, and that really was our safety net over the years.

“The main issue now is Covid. People don’t want to rent out their rooms anymore, so now students are staying in hotels, but beyond that we are getting calls from first years and their parents and they are deferring because there is literally no accommodation available for them.

“It’s heart-breaking because of how hard first years have worked to get to college and the difficulties with school the past two years, and the simple provision of housing that they need just doesn’t exist.

“Parents are crying down the phone to us telling us that their child really wants to do this course, but they can’t travel from Waterford to Limerick or Athlone every day. It’s just not feasible.”

An RTÉ News report which aired last week showed that 20 students were paying for rooms n the Creggan Court Hotel in Athlone, as no other accommodation was available.

“A student doesn’t come to college hoping to live in a hotel. They come to find a second home and to grow as a person. Housing is fundamental for students to engage with college life.

“Luckily in Athlone the community is very good, so we’re getting calls every day from people offering up rooms for digs.”

However, Áine said that students in the Limerick campus of the new TU have to compete with students from Mary Immaculate College and University of Limerick for accommodation.

“This week I’m at the Midwest campus, and there are at least ten students living in just one hotel here. Thurles and Clonmel are very limited for accommodation too. We manage accommodation listings, but there is nobody registering to offer rooms.”

Currently ITs and TUs are not included the in a legislative framework which allows them to borrow to build.

Section 38 of the Universities Act 1997 states that a “university may borrow money by means of a bank overdraft and may guarantee or underwrite a loan taken or borrowing undertaken by a person or body of persons.”

“For TUs and ITs that framework hasn’t been developed,” Áine said. “We’re the same size as traditional universities and we have the same needs. Until TUs get access to the ability to borrow to build, I see it as discrimination against our students.

“Getting access to that framework will benefit the communities of Athlone and Limerick as well. When students are removed from the private rental market and have purpose-built student accommodation, there is more housing available for families and workers,” she finished.

In April, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said that “the anomaly whereby universities are in a position to use borrowing frameworks to build campus accommodation and technological universities are not, should be addressed.”

He also said there was “a real opportunity to address regional imbalance if our new TUs have the option to build on-campus accommodation.”