Facing the housing crisis – Why connecting supply and demand is half the solution
By Valontino James|
We often talk about a “housing crisis” as if it’s a distant policy issue.
For students in Namibia, it’s personal. It looks like paying too much for too little, travelling too far from campus, or living with uncertainty about where you’ll sleep next semester.
The challenge isn’t just that demand is high: it’s that supply is scattered, informal, and often invisible to the very people who need it most.
But there’s good news: a large part of the solution is within reach. Namibia has more small-scale landlords than we realise: families with backyard flats, spare rooms, and converted garages, especially near tertiary institutions and transport routes.
The problem is discovery. Students don’t know where to look, and landlords don’t know how to reach students efficiently and safely.
There are three ways that a central platform designed expressly to link students with housing can reduce friction. First, visibility: through verified listings and filters based on amenities, location, and price, it reveals hidden supply.
Second, trust: it promotes safer communication, displays reviews, and establishes minimal standards.
Third, speed: it expedites landlord inquiries, cuts down on ghost listings, and shortens the search process.
This strategy enhances policy rather than replaces it. We still require basic infrastructure, safety regulations, zoning clarity, and equitable conflict resolution.
However, the problem seems less daunting when the daily task of finding a lodging is easier. Technology serves as a useful link between community-based supply and student demand, transforming informal capacity into formal opportunity.
There’s also a macro impact: when students live closer to campus in stable conditions, dropout rates fall and performance improves. Landlords gain predictable income, which they reinvest, better security, lighting, and connectivity. Neighbourhoods benefit from increased foot traffic and local spending.
Over time, small wins compound into bigger shifts, less pressure on institutional housing, more dignity in the private market, and stronger links between education and local economies.
Namibia’s housing challenge will not be solved overnight. But what we can do today is remove chaos from the search, reduce risk in the transaction, and make quality visible.
A well-run, student-focused property platform is not just a marketplace, it’s a stabiliser. It helps turn uncoordinated supply into structured options, empowers students to choose wisely, and encourages landlords to raise standards.
In a crisis, clarity is a form of relief. And connection is a form of solution.
– Valontino James is Pozi co-founder.
