The state of the rental market in the Metro region is having adverse effects on those experiencing homelessness.

Driven by the increase in Airbnbs and a sellers real-estate market, its not unusual for hundreds of people to apply for a rental unit in the St. John’s region. That’s putting prices higher than many can afford, especially those dealing with homelessness or hovering around the poverty line.

Doug Pawson of End Homelessness St. John’s, says they’ve seen a significant increase in people looking for financial assistance, and a lot of it is related to the high cost of living.

He says over the winter months people have been choosing between paying their rent in full or paying their utilities in full, and after a while that starts to catch up with people. Pawson says they have never seen such a demand for help, and they are hoping to work with government and Newfoundland Power to find solutions.