Affordable student housing is an education issue

When we talk about barriers to education, what usually comes to mind are tuition, cost of books or access to technology.

But, after years of listening to Indigenous students, families, elders, communities, and organizations across Manitoba, we heard something else. For many, the biggest barrier to post-secondary education is having a safe place to live, where their culture is honoured and resources are accessible.

Jordan was living in a tent in downtown Winnipeg for the first few weeks of his time at RRC Polytech.

Before attending Pathways to Business, he had been progressing in his journey to sobriety for a while. He knew he needed to keep that momentum going, and the opportunity came when he saw a poster for the program. Jordan saved up money from social assistance to apply, and was accepted for the 2024 fall term.

Barely a month into the program, a fire destroyed his tent and all his belongings.

It was then that he reached out to our staff for help. He shared what had happened, the troubles that he faced trying to come to school, and asked how we might be able to help.

Staff rallied to support him — they secured emergency housing before helping him transition into regular housing. With that support, Jordan could safely focus on schoolwork without having to worry about where he’d sleep at night.

Earlier this year, RRC Polytech released Our Roadmap Forward: Ensuring the Success of Indigenous Students. The report identifies 73 interconnected factors affecting Indigenous students’ applications, enrolment and success in post-secondary education. It’s the culmination of years of engagement and research through RRC Polytech’s Overcoming Barriers for Indigenous Students project.

This work affirmed that educational success does not begin in the classroom. It begins with whether a learner has reliable transportation. Whether they can access childcare. Whether they have the identification needed to open a bank account or register for services.

And, perhaps most importantly, whether they have a safe and stable place to call home.

We have a housing affordability crisis in Canadian post-secondary education, with 72 per cent of students spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.

Compounding this issue is the reality that Indigenous, Black, and equity-deserving post-secondary students experience housing insecurity at disproportionate rates. Off-reserve Indigenous households are 17.8 per cent more likely to live in housing that falls below national adequacy standards.

Keeping our focus on Indigenous students, the relationship between housing and education is often even more complex. When these students come to RRC Polytech, housing becomes the foundation on which everything else depends.

The findings in Our Roadmap Forward demonstrate that housing intersects with nearly every other challenge Indigenous students may face. A stable address makes it easier to obtain identification, establish banking services, access health care, secure childcare, connect with support programs, and maintain consistent transportation to campus.

It is particularly important for learners transitioning from the child welfare system, those returning from involvement with the correctional system and those caring for children or elders.

Housing cannot simply be another box to check on a list of student supports.

It is the place from which all other support becomes possible — it is student success infrastructure.

The conversation about Indigenous education must also recognize a broader truth.

For generations, colonial policies forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families and communities under the guise of education. Residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the child welfare system all deliberately separated children from their languages, cultures, and support systems, which have caused lasting harm that continues to affect families and communities today.

Today, Indigenous learners are choosing education for themselves to strengthen their families and communities. But, too often when they make that choice, many encounter barriers that make participation more difficult than it should be.

An uncomfortable question worth asking is: if Canada once found the resources to forcibly house Indigenous children in church-run institutions, why do Indigenous learners now struggle to find safe, affordable housing when they voluntarily seek higher education?

We need to lead the conversation with answers and actions. We are going to change the narrative around education for Indigenous learners.

Reconciliation requires more than acknowledging the past. It requires removing the barriers that persist into the present. At the same time, we must avoid forcing a choice between learning in cities and staying in home communities. Indigenous learners need both. Expanding opportunities in communities while ensuring learners can access safe housing when relocation is necessary are complementary goals, not competing ones.

Investing in Indigenous student success offers generational return on investment. Not only does it create opportunities for individuals, it helps build stronger families whose members see post-secondary in their future and in turn builds stronger families, healthier communities, and a more prosperous country.

Jordan went on to become the 2025 Pow Wow valedictorian and received a $16,000 scholarship from a major financial institution, where he worked over the summer.

If we are serious about reconciliation in Canada, we must recognize a simple reality — education cannot thrive without safe, affordable housing.

Before students can focus on learning, they must know they are safe. And before we can expect Indigenous learners to overcome barriers, we must be willing to remove them.

Jamie Wilson is vice-president, Indigenous strategy, research and business development at RRC Polytech.