Perth international student Stanley Salim had no choice but to turn his car into his home for 36 days after failing to secure housing.

Mr Salim, an international student from Indonesia studying at Curtin University, said high rental prices and limited housing availability were two of his main issues while looking for a place to stay.

“I reached out to several student accommodations and homestays, but at that time I felt like the world was just against me. All of them were either full or outrageously expensive,” he said.

Data from the Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia showed an 8.1 per cent increase in homelessness since 2016.

Mr Salim said the cold was the biggest challenge for him, describing how he had to adapt to sleeping, studying, and eating in his cramped vehicle during the cold winter months.

This experience affected his academic performance since he did not have a comfortable living environment: “Yeah, my grades were not the best at that time. Well, sometimes I visited the library, but I can’t be visiting every day and, yeah, I can’t really study comfortably in the back seat of a 2004 Toyota Camry, right?”

Salim added that his friends were the biggest support system to help him settle. “Dude, if you ever have been in my situation, make friends.

“Oh gosh, they were the ones who gave me a place to shower and a place to shit,” Salim said.

A homestay guardian Barbara Edwards who has hosted several international students said universities were not doing enough to assist students with their housing.

She said institutions should provide enough information about accommodation options and ensure that students have access to appropriate housing before they even set foot in the country.

She explained that universities need to take a more active role in ensuring that students are not left to navigate the housing market on their own.

She said Mr Salim’s hardship shows the urgent need to improve support mechanisms to prevent international students from facing similar difficulties.