Bethany Horne, Online Editor
If you take living expenses and textbook prices into account, going to school at Dalhousie can cost more than $15,000 a year. After four years of studies with that price tag, many of us will graduate poor, or in debt.
Last year, more than $2 million in university bursaries was given out to students who proved financial need. If you are suffering from financial burdens, you are not alone.
Here we’ve compiled some serious money-saving strategies for low-income students.
SHELTER:
Co-ops
A co-operative is a housing model where tenants are members of a decision-making body and pay housing fees into the communal pot. The co-op does not profit off the fees of its members and uses the money toward improvements and repair as needed, and as directed by the membership. Because co-op housing is not a for-profit model, it is usually cheaper than paying rent.
Several established co-ops in the city have vacancies. Metro Student Living, an initiative to make co-ops open to students, forged a partnership with Pathways Housing a few years ago to help student get into their units, which are sometimes eligible for government subsidies.
For a full list of Pathways vacancies go to www.pathwayshousing.ca/vacancies.php, or contact them at 444-7277.
The other big co-op management company in the city is Concord: 468-4140.
Affordable rent from government
The Department of Community Services funds a “limited number of affordable rental housing units for low-income single parents attending university.” On top of those requirements, the applicant must be a full-time student working toward a first degree, the lone custodial parent of the child or children, approved for a Nova Scotia student loan, and eligible for public housing.
If you can check off all those boxes, read more about it at www.gov.ns.ca/coms/housing/rental/LoneParentStudent.html, or contact the Metro Regional housing authority toll free at 1-800-565-8859.
Peter Green Hall Student Family Housing Co-op
Married students who decided to take affordable housing into their own hands built Peter Green Hall in the 1960s.
To be a member of this apartment complex co-op, applicants must be a married or cohabitating couple, a single parent or a couple with children, comprised of at least one full-time university student.
One-bedroom units cost $697 a month and two-bedrooms go for $870, utilities included.
Residents are also expected to contribute at least a couple of hours of volunteer work each month to the society.
For more information, go to: petergreenhall.dal.ca.
Herizons for single mothers
Nova Scotia has the highest proportion of single-parent families in Canada, according the YWCA’s brochure about their housing program for single moms in Halifax.
Herizons has space to house up to five women-led families.
“Recent statistics show that there were 228 single parents attending university who applied for student assistance in HRM, of which one can estimate that there are 189 are single mothers attending university in Halifax,” their website says.
Education is one of the keys to reducing the risk of homelessness, but Halifax has some of the highest tuition rates in the country, and rent for a two-bedroom averages $899 a month. Education is not always an option for those who most would benefit from it.
Women at Herizons have access to more than just an apartment: they have on-site after-hours childcare, emergency staff, access to referrals and advocacy services, and are surrounded by a supportive community.
Phone 423-6162 extension 222 or fill out the form at http://www.ywcahalifax.com/main.php?page=survey_herizons to apply.
FOOD:
Dalhousie Student Union Food Bank
The Student Union runs a food bank out of the basement of the Student Union building. With only the flash of your Dal card, you can walk away with an armful of canned goods and other non-perishables, for free, right here on campus, to help during those tight grocery weeks.
The hours of operation will depend on the number of volunteers, but the VP-Internal can let you in, if you’re in a pinch. For more info contact Kayla Kurin at 494-1276 or e-mail dsuvpi@dal.ca.
Parker Street food bank
Clients of the Parker Street Food Bank begin lining up at the Maynard Street location half an hour before the doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Parker Street Food bank is different from most because it fills orders more frequently – every three weeks – and lets folks choose which foods they want to take home instead of giving you mystery grab bags. The food bank also stocks fresh fruit and vegetables and a variety of donated bread.
Bring some of your own bags as well as a Nova Scotia Health card or proof of residence to 2415 Maynard Street on Monday, Wednesday or Friday mornings. For more information call 425-2125.
Free meals
There are several places in the city that serve free meals on different days of the week.
On Sunday, Saint Matthew’s United Church serves breakfast between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. (1279 Barrington Street).
For lunch, try the free vegetarian meals shared by the activists of Food Not Bombs. At 1 p.m. the group meets on the front steps of the North Branch Library at 2285 Gottingen Street.
Get your Sunday supper in the gymnasium of St. Andrews United Church (6036 Coburg Road) between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
On Monday, bring your re-usable mug to the Student Union Building to get free coffee or tea at SustainDal’s Muggy Mondays stand. They will be there every week of the school year to raise awareness about our habits of waste, and to fight back with piping hot caffeine rewards.
On Tuesday, with a re-useable container and your own cutlery in hand you can get vegetarian food by donation from the Tuppy Tuesdays table in the McCain lobby, another SustainDal initiative. Tuppy Tuesdays is a big hit, so get there early.
On Wednesday, the Food Not Bombs activists re-appear at the Spring Garden Road Memorial Library (5381 Spring Garden Road) at 5 p.m. to serve their vegetarian fare. This meal is targeted at university students.
Last year, the students of Campus Action on Food (CAF) did some free servings in the SUB to show how hard it is to get affordable, healthy, vegetarian food on campus. If you’re interested, you can find out more about them on their Facebook page, their Wiki ( HYPERLINK “http://campusactiononfood.wikispaces.com/”http://campusactiononfood.wikispaces.com/), or by e-mailing campusactiononfood@gmail.com.
EXTRAS:
Parker Street furniture bank
The people at Parker Street run a furniture bank along with the food bank. They accept donations and redistribute used furniture to families with proven needs, though sometimes a delivery fee applies. If you have a Nova Scotia health card, drop by during office hours to fill out an application for that bed, dresser, table or couch that you need. Even if they don’t have an item you are looking for, they can add your name to a waiting list and let you know when new donations come in. Call 453-4886 to schedule a pick-up or drop-off.
Dalhousie Student Union online book exchange
This textbook exchange website allows students to sell their old course books for any price. Users of the site can search the directory by title, author, subject or ISBN, and can contact the seller directly by e-mail.
Although professors frequently update their requirements to the newest edition, this is not always the case, nor does it always mean the content of the old edition is not the same.
Do some research and search for books you need at www.tigerbooks.ca.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t forget that many students also post their books for sale on the dal.ca message boards, and at http://halifax.kijiji.ca.
Dal Women’s Centre child care
This little house on South Street is packed with support for low-income students, but the specifics of what goes on in the space change yearly. The centre tries to be completely responsive to the women that use it. This year, it kicks off the school year with a review process that you can read more about in The Dalhousie Gazette next week.
In the past, volunteers have organized childcare to help single-parent students. A clothing bank, toy bank and community kitchen also share the space. Film series, support groups and social events are always going on in the DWC’s lounge.
Drop by 6286 South Street, or go to www.dalwomenscentre.ca for more information.
City Mail
If you’re in the North End, you can now send letters for free. A mysterious mail-aficionado (or team of them?) offers a service called City Mail: “an initiative dedicated
to the delivery of inner-city
postables, in Halifax.”
All your package or envelope needs is an address: no postage required. Schedule a pick-up by e-mailing HYPERLINK “mailto:citymail.halifax@gmail.com” citymail.halifax@gmail.com, or by trusting your precious correspondence to the boxes at Gottingen Street and Cunard Street, Fuller Terrace and North Street, Windsor Street and Lawrence Street, or on Brunswick Street, near Steve-O-Reno’s. The mailboxes will be emptied “on a minimum-weekly basis,” and delivered to their destination.
HARD CASH
Dal bursaries
Although this cash source is not meant to fund your whole education, it does a nice job at filling in the gaps. Students who have financial need and applied for a student loan can apply for fall bursaries beginning in October. The amount you are awarded can depend on your estimated need, the funds the university has available, and the number of applicants, but it usually ranges between $200 and $600 a term.
Keep checking www.moneymatters.dal.ca/02_bursaries.html to find out when applications for the fall term will be available.
Dal Women’s Centre bursaries
The centre offers the only financial support on campus specifically for students with children. Students can apply for bursaries throughout the school year and can find more information on the centre’s website, listed above.
Temporary loans
Dal offers interest-free emergency loans of up to $1,000 to help students pay for living expenses until other funding arrives.
These loans are available for 30 days, but could cover a period of up to 90 days. Applicants need to prove they can pay the money back.
Applications are processed every week, due on Wednesdays. To read the fine print or to print out an application form, go to http://www.moneymatters.dal.ca/04_temploans.html.
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