Episode 24: International Student Housing

When the world shut down in 2020, international student Sasha had nowhere to go. Racing against the ticking clock of her university residence shutting down, Sasha and her friends rushed to find housing in the GTA. Little did they know the nightmare they were diving into.

On this episode of Homelessness in Hiding: Our Youth Between the Cracks, we’ll hear Sasha’s story of renting in the GTA as an international student. Her experiences expose the tricky landscape of unlawful deposits, awful maintenance, and, in her words, the practice of social law versus legal law.

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Further Reading:

⁠A report about international student fees⁠

Lodging Houses (⁠Brampton⁠) (⁠Mississauga⁠)

⁠International Students In Canada

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About the Guest:

“Sasha”

International Student | Studies at the University of Toronto | She/Her

“Sasha” is an international student who studies English and History at the University of Toronto. She has been renting in Toronto, Ontario for nearly three years, and has shared only a snippet of her wild experinces.

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About the Host:

Mya Moniz

Peer Support Leader | REST Centres | She/Her

Mya is an independent youth and Former Crown Ward of the Peel Children’s Aid Society. She’s achieved an Honours Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction from the University of Toronto in English, Professional Writing and Communications, and Sociology. She also sits at the Senior Leadership Table for the Peel Alliance to End Homelessness as a youth with lived experience.

Mya believes there is great power in healing, growth, and catharsis through writing and storytelling, and she strives to help others tell their stories the way she tells hers.