BC homeless count: communities see rise despite $19B housing push

(Image courtesy CBC)

A provincewide snapshot finds homelessness up in most surveyed BC communities, despite years of multibillion-dollar housing commitments from the province. The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs says its 2025 point-in-time count shows increases in 12 of 20 communities since 2023, and declines in eight. The government stresses the methodology is a 24-hour “snapshot,” but the results indicate growing pressure in many communities.

Interior cities were among the places with higher numbers, including Williams Lake, Cranbrook, Merritt, Quesnel, Penticton and Salmon Arm. Coastal communities also posted increases such as Kitimat, Squamish, Sechelt-Gibsons and Port Alberni. The list of communities reporting declines includes Vernon, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Powell River, Campbell River and the Comox Valley.

The province funded counts in 20 centres this cycle — from Campbell River and the Comox Valley to Vernon and Williams Lake — as part of a broader 2024–25 effort that also includes federally funded counts. The approach yields a minimum number, gathered by volunteers over a single day.

Housing Minister Christine Boyle acknowledged persistent gaps: “We know more needs to be done to help the most vulnerable members of our communities, and that’s why we’re building safe, secure homes and providing needed supports to help people overcome the cycle of homelessness,” she said in a statement, noting continued overrepresentation of Indigenous people and former children in care.

The numbers land against a backdrop of a $19-billion provincial housing investment and ambitious build targets. The government ties its homelessness response to Belonging in BC, part of that investment. Since 2017, officials say more than 93,600 homes have been delivered or are underway. Yet the latest snapshot shows 12 of 20 communities moving in the wrong direction, and eight in the right one.

Supporters of the counts say the method helps track trends and service needs; the counts are known to be undercounts because they capture a 24-hour snapshot. Even with that caveat, the 2025 results will be combined with other local, federally funded and independent counts in a consolidated report expected this winter, offering a fuller view of who is falling through the cracks.