(DENVER, July 17, 2024) ­– DLR Group, alongside the International Town & Gown Association (ITGA), the National League of Cities (NLC), and their international partner organizations, conducted a student housing survey spanning the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. The survey revealed that effective housing strategies require collaboration between city municipal authorities and higher education leadership.

Targeting colleges, universities, and their surrounding communities, DLR Group’s survey gathered input from nearly 500 institutional leaders and local officials about access, impediments, and evolving best practices for providing housing access for students, staff, and neighbors.

“While the impact varies, every community that hosts a higher education institution is negatively affected by the housing crisis. DLR Group’s research is integral to building bridges between town and gown policies and development strategies,” said Rothenberger.

International Commonalities

The housing survey revealed common themes that affect the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

• Hidden Homeless Population: Students are often overlooked in official homelessness data.
• Rising Total Education Costs: Increasing post-secondary education tuition, fees, and living expenses are linked to housing insecurity.
• Lack of Evidence and Measurement Challenges:
  • 30-33% of institutions and communities are unsure about the extent of housing insecurity.
  • Nearly 20% of institutions are uncertain about how to measure housing insecurity.
• Luxury Student Housing: The influx of luxury apartments controlled by out-of-region investors does not alleviate the problem and fails to address the broader issue of affordability.
• Local Resource Strain: Institutional tax-exempt status is straining municipal resources.

“DLR Group is about integrating voices and solutions,” said DLR Group Principal and Campus Planning Leader Krisan Osterby. “Our 360-degree research approach and expertise empowered us to lead ITGA’s partners, create a survey that synthesized town and gown concerns, produce a dashboard with meaningful analytics, and elevate emerging success stories.”

Research-Informed, Actionable Steps

Pathways to Better Town & Gown Coordination:

• Tailor solutions based on the unique housing needs.
• Acknowledge impact of out-of-region and international students.
• Capture opportunities for efficient resource allocation.
• Change policies: zoning reforms, targeted workforce housing development.

Institutional Strategies to Identify Student Housing Challenges

• Include housing access questions in wellness-based student and prospective student surveys.
• Participate in state-wide higher education housing surveys and housing studies.
• Form a Basic Needs task force to define the issue.
• Form a Student Care (or Basic Needs) team that can take referrals.
• Track referrals to Student Care team (or Basic Needs Center).
• Track issues through additional student support systems such as advice clinics.
• Work with community organizations who may be providing housing to students.
• Work with police and campus security.
• Correlate housing insecurity to food insecurity and food pantry access.

“The survey showed 60% of respondents had no collaborative housing initiatives between local governments and post-secondary leaders,” said Beth Bagwell, ITGA Executive Director. “Our members recognize we have a shared responsibility in bridging local housing shortages. ITGA and its partners will use the DLR Group survey results, analysis, and insights to address the foundational issues that hinder campus, community, and constituent wellbeing.”

Initial findings were presented at the June ITGA 2024 International Conference, hosted by the University of Maryland and the City of College Park. Final survey results and analysis will be published September 2024. Survey analysis and aggregated data will be shared with members of the partner organizations and those who completed the survey as a resource for coordinated and ongoing engagement between cities, institutions, and their partners.

DLR Group continues to lead in providing actionable intelligence and solutions to address contemporary challenges through its steadfast commitment to research and innovation. This student housing survey is part of DLR Group’s ongoing efforts to contribute to knowledge sharing and industry advancement.