College students and their families displaced by Hurricane Katrina can get assistance finding free or discounted housing in Boulder through the University of Colorado at Boulder's Off-Campus Student Services office.
Director Susan Stafford said the office has put out a request to landlords and property managers in Boulder County for flexible housing options specifically for southeastern college students and their families.
"We've had at least 20 responses from property owners and managers, including one apartment complex that is offering three months of free rent to a family, or one free month and discounted rent through January for a student," Stafford said. "We've also heard from people in the community who are offering rooms at no charge, discounted rooms, or rentals with flexible weekly or monthly terms for hurricane refugees."
The Off-campus Student Services Office is soliciting offers for different types of housing, according to Stafford. "There's a housing need for Colorado students who were attending a college in the southeast and want to come back to CU-Boulder to continue studying. There's also a reverse need - students at CU-Boulder who have family in the disaster area and might need to coordinate temporary housing for them in Boulder for weeks or months," she said.
Students have options to live on campus, Stafford said, but that might not be a viable option in certain circumstances.
"We're getting calls from displaced students who own pets, but animals can't be accommodated in on-campus housing, so these students must look off campus. We're doing what we can to help," she said.
Hurricane victims can contact Off-campus Student Services for a current listing of housing offers at (303) 492-7053.