Trent University is taking strides to address housing needs in the Peterborough community, advancing a responsive housing strategy with plans to add approximately 1,300 new residence spaces for students on and off campus by fall 2028 and creating more than 200 long-term care spaces for seniors.

"Trent’s housing strategy is a key priority. We are dedicated to placing student and community needs at the centre of our institutional goals,” said Dr. Cathy Bruce, Trent’s president and vice-chancellor. “By working closely with municipal and regional governments, we can propel these projects forward and contribute to broader community solutions." 

Under President Bruce's leadership, the University is moving ahead with plans to add a range of housing styles for students both on and off campus in Peterborough by fall 2028. The projects include the development of the Trent’s newest college, named honorifically as Gidigaa Migizi College, and the redevelopment and expansion of the Otonabee College residence, which will collectively add over 900 new units on campus. Additionally, the University has leased a parcel of its lands near the campus on Water Street to Residence Development Corporation to provide approximately 324 new residence spaces for upper-year Trent students in townhouse-style housing by fall 2026.

“Ensuring our students have access to safe, affordable housing is critical to attracting and retaining high-quality talent. But it also supports the social and economic wellbeing of the broader community,” President Bruce added.

These projects aim to position Trent as part of the solution to addressing local housing supply shortages locally – developing purpose-built student housing to ensure Trent students have places to live, while freeing up other housing options for residents of the City of Peterborough.

A creative next step involves the development of an Integrated Seniors Village and long-term care home on Trent lands in Peterborough to bring much needed seniors housing to the community. The Provincially funded long-term care home will help to reduce the long wait list for senior’s care in Peterborough – the third oldest demographic community in Canada – where almost 2,500 seniors are wait-listed.

Upon completion of all projects in the next five years, Trent University will contribute 32 percent of the new housing unit target set for the City of Peterborough with the goal of creating 4,700 new homes by 2031. 

“Our community needs a broad range of housing to meet the needs of residents, including Trent University students who make substantial contributions to the life of our community,” said City of Peterborough Mayor and Trent alumnus Jeff Leal ‘74. “We are grateful that Trent is doing its part to meet housing needs in Peterborough, supporting City housing targets, and demonstrating Trent’s ongoing commitment to serve our growing city."

Alongside adding beds both on and off campus, Trent has also joined together with Fleming College and Age-friendly Peterborough in a new collaboration with SpacesShared – an online home sharing platform that connects students to older adults with rooms available for rent in their homes.