Substantial drop in housing queues
Waiting lists cut in half as SiO Housing goes over their lists
På norskWhen the Foundation for Student Life in Oslo (SiO) went through their waiting lists recently, they managed to cut the number of people wait-listed for student housing down to 1000. This is a considerable plunge from the increase on 2600 at the beginning of the semester.
- The reason for this is not that we have been able to give these students apartments, it’s simply that we have «cleaned up» the lists, says Director of SiO Housing Tom Olstad.
According to Olstad, applicants who do not get in touch within 50 days fall out of the system. This «cleaning up» is done in order to get more genuine waiting lists.
The list is now down to half. People who are still looking for somewhere to live, and who have not been in touch with us for the past 50 days have to reapply, he explains.
Based on SiO’s own search engine, it is easy to see that the most popular student houses are the ones which are centrally situated, relatively new, with en-suite bathroom and kitchen.
- Is it still possible to get accommodation on the day you apply, or is the capacity full on all of the Foundation’s student houses?
- At the moment there are a few vacant rooms at Kringsjå, but this can change rapidly.
Leader of the student welfare body The Velferdsting, Øyvind Gjengaar, feels that even though the waiting lists have been cut in half, this is far from good enough.
- It’s nice to see that the queue is decreasing in size, but 1000 people waiting in line is still 1000 too many. We wish to offer reasonably priced accommodation to everyone who needs it.
2 kommentarer
Hi,
As a postgraduate student dating back from last academic year, do you know that I am now four months homeless and without any source of income? The "social office" refused to pay my sixs months of Kr12.117 and so the housing management became impatient despite they know that a social office in Norway is a relative guarantor. Last night with a cold winter over the week-end, my night was spent on the steps of a corridor. In the two academic years, I have now been six months homeless and have to collect bottles after lectures just to eat. The housing department of the university locked up all my educational materials since four months now. And nobody, I mean nobody cares, because it sounds normal. My lap top and my thesis for the end of the program are all lock up by the housing department. Would someone mediate please; For health sake if not for the educational value of the university as a social institution.
Why dont you just give up and go home. Dont leech from our social benefits you asshole!
