17 Spacemaster students without housing in Kiruna

From Kuriren
Rough English translation of article (see link above):

Students without a place to live
At 18 February, 45 new students come to Kiruna. 17 of them have no place to live. Now, the student council has turned toward the Kiruna citizens - give them a place to live.

The situation is imminent. Because of that, we ask all we can, both private citizens and companies, to invite students for a place to live, says Christopher Storm who is speaker for the Kiruna student council.

This year it is calculated that 160 students will read in Kiruna. Simultanuously, Kirunabostäder has only 118 smaller appartments and rooms that are meant for students.

The municipality is very much involved for the students. We have received places and help from all sides, but if if the places to live won't work, Kiruna makes a bad impression and will disappoint the students, says Christopher Storm

Bad for the reputation
This must be solved. Our reputation must not be damaged. Our ambition is that Kiruna will grow as a student town and we have succeded pretty well, but the housing problem is difficult. The problem is the shorter education like Space masters. The students live here only three months [GH: should be five] and one can't that the community pays for the nine months that houses are empty, says council member Kenneth Stånacke.

According to Kenneth Stålnacke, the municipality should discuss with LKAB's real estate firm about student housing in the old jägerskole area.

Infamously expensive
But that is expensive. Apartments would become much to expensive for the students. Now we hope at new negotiations, he says and adds that also Tallplan has been discussed as a possible student housing place.

The imminent housing crisis will be up to the summer, but already now we know that the number of students will rise in the forseeable future. Alrready next year the number of students will have grown to 230 and the year after it is calculated to be 320 students.

To solve the immenent problem we have esthablished a student housing negotiation that will start soon, says Kenneth Stålnacke who believes that the long term housing problem in the community can be solved - by building new houses.

At 23 January we will meet actors from the municipality and LKAB who will build housing in the new Kiruna, northwest. That will be the first meeting where we will brainstorm, he says.

The municipality has established a person who will perform the negotiations for the rooms or apartments that Kiruna citizens can offer to students.

Those who have something to offer are welcome to contact me, says Marianne Matti to the council.

Another article, from Norrländska Socialdemokraterna:

Housing shortage among students

By the beginning of next month, 45 students from the whole of Europe [GH: should be world] will arrive at Kiruna for studying half a year. Still 17 of them have no place to live.

The students come from the so called Spacemaster programme, which is running for the third year. Students from the whole of Europe first read space courses at the University of Würzburg, near Frankfurt, and then in Kiruna.

Now, when the [kullen] arrive, the shortage of student rooms has become imminent in Kiruna, just like the shortage of ordinary housing. The student council has called to the community for help.

- It is really a critical situation. Those of you who can offer a room or an apartment for rent, go to the municipality, say Christopher Storm and Johan Pettersson in the technology section in Umeå and the Kiruna section in Luleå.

New programme

The number of students in Kiruna has grown considerably in Kiruna, particularly since last years autumn when the the new nature guide programme started.

Until the next autumn, the programme in space science [återruptas] and in addition, a the space gymnasium starts a new programme.

If all is ready in 2010 the number of students in Kiruna will have grown from 160 to 300. Kiruna municipality has thus both an imminent problem and a long-term problem, [om än angenäma sådana. ??]

The municipality puts a lot of market research in the programmes and according to the student council, a lot is done for the future student life in Kiruna.

Bad reputation.

But if the housing issue is not solved then that is no use. There is mainly a risk of getting a bad reputation, says Johan Petterson.

The demand has come suddenly. As late as 2005, the municipalities housing firm, Kirunaboståder, has changed two floors in Terrassvägen 9 from student rooms into normal apartments.

Now it is a matter of finding housing that can be rebuilt into student rooms.

The discussion is being performed with LKAB's firm FAB for using Vasallen at the old jägerskole area, but there has been no negotiation results about the price.

There has also been looked at apartments build by Polish companies, but those were left already before and seriously need renovations.

We will try to do everything we can, but it's not really easy. We have in any case decided to estabilhs a student housing negotiator and a person who is now working on the problem fulltime, says council member
Kenneth Stålnacke.

(note from Gerrit: the Spacemaster students stay at least until 19 June, which is not three months but five. I myself have a room and I am not among the 17 students in need of housing, but I know many people who are)