The homelessness numbers are out for Metro Vancouver.
And the uptick is no surprise to members of the Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Group.
According to the 2023 Point-in-Time Homeless Count, which was done on March 7 and 8 by the Homelessness Services Association of B.C. in partnership with community groups, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody has increased 86 per cent since 2020.
Homelessness counts are conducted every three years in the region.
The local figures show 160 people in the Tri-Cities indicated they are homeless — 62 unsheltered and 98 sheltered — up from 86 people in 2020, a rise of 74 people.
By comparison, the 2023 Count in other Metro jurisdictions also saw homelessness jumps:
- Burnaby
- 209 in 2023
- 124 in 2020
- Delta
- 44 in 2023
- 17 in 2020
- White Rock
- 17 in 2023
- 16 in 2020
- Langley
- 235 in 2023
- 209 in 2020
- New Westminster
- 203 in 2023
- 123 in 2020
- North Shore
- 168 in 2023
- 121 in 2020
- Richmond
- 162 in 2023
- 85 in 2020
- Ridge Meadows
- 135 in 2023
- 114 in 2020
- Surrey
- 1,060 in 2023
- 644 in 2020
- Vancouver
- 2,420 in 2023
- 2,095 in 2020
- University Endowment Lands
- Eight (8) in 2023
- N/A in 2020
Keir Macdonald, chief executive officer of Coast Mental Health and a co-chairperson of the Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Group, told the Tri-City News today, Oct. 5, that the count message is clear: Action needs to be taken by elected officials, not lip service.
And he's calling on the community to lobby Tri-Cities politicians — at the civic, provincial and federal levels — to step up, rezone land and get supportive housing built.
Macdonald plans to meet with Coquitlam–Port Coquitlam Liberal MP Ron McKinnon next week to talk about the numbers, as well as a recent report commissioned by BC Housing on the operations at 3030 Gordon Ave. in Coquitlam, the only permanent shelter in the Tri-Cities that's been full since Day 1.
Macdonald said all three levels of government need to get on board to address supportive housing and health challenges for people experiencing homelessness.
"We need political courage," he said.
"We have to look at Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody for action — especially Port Coquitlam, where most of the people are congregating. What is Mayor West planning to do? There's a growing need. They need to do something about it…. The time to act is now."
According to the Count report, of the 4,821 homeless people in Metro Vancouver — an increase of 32 per cent over 2020 — 70 per cent are adults while 22 per cent are seniors (ages 55 and older).
And 15 per cent said they became homeless after the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020.
As for the reasons they are homeless, the respondents stated:
- Not enough income: 35 per cent
- Substance abuse issues: 24 per cent
- Mental health issues: 16 per cent
About two-thirds have been in a shelter, or out on the street, for at least a year.
Macdonald said the more people out in the cold, the more they become exposed to mental health challenges and drug use.
"It's the chronic homelessness that I'm concerned about because it's harder and harder to address some of the harm that's been done. What's concerning is that so much money was poured into services during the pandemic years."
Polly Krier, co-ordinator of the Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Group, was blunt with her words.
"The Tri-Cities continues to lack the necessary range and number of services, with still just 30 permanent shelter beds and 30 supportive housing units serving the entire Tri-Cities region — a number that has been unchanged since 2015," she said.
"The continued inaction and lack of investment in new services is unacceptable."
MP McKinnon said the federal government is incentivizing municipal governments through the Housing Accelerator Fund to densify and fast-track project approvals.
"Our government proposes to remove the federal portion of GST from new rental housing construction, and that legislation currently being blocked by Conservative members of Parliament," he said.
As for the City of Coquitlam, it plans to continue to work with the task group to find out where the gaps are, said Genevieve Bucher, director of community planning.
Recently, the municipality received a grant from the Union of BC Municipalities’ (UBCM) Strengthening Communities Fund; the money is being given to several nonprofits that are providing outreach services to the homeless in the Tri-Cities.
In addition, "to help support housing options along the continuum, Coquitlam has created a very successful program to create purpose-built rental housing with almost 1,400 units under construction currently (of these, over 500 units are below or non-market units) and has contributed over $17 million over the last six years from our Affordable Housing Reserve Fund," Bucher said.
Meanwhile, the Homelessness Count Report comes the same week that six Tri-Cities churches ready for another round of hosting winter shelters for the homeless, from Oct. 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
They are:
- St. Laurence Anglican Church (825 St. Laurence St., Coquitlam)
- Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship (1160 Lansdowne Dr., Coquitlam)
- Trinity United Church (2211 Prairie Ave., Port Coquitlam)
- Calvary Baptist Church (1636 Regan Ave., Coquitlam)
- Coquitlam Alliance Church (2601 Spuraway Ave., Coquitlam)
The nightly shelters will be run again by the Progressive Housing Society.
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Their Full Responses
Bonita Zarrillo, NDP MP for Port Moody–Coquitlam:
“This report is deeply upsetting — every person deserves a safe, affordable place to call home. But the reality is after years of consecutive Liberal and Conservative federal governments, rental prices in our communities have sky rocketed.
"The lack of affordable housing is hurting people, especially those living on a fixed income like seniors and persons with disabilities. Something has got to change, but the Liberals have only just started talking about housing affordability now that they’ve seen the polls. And the Conservatives’ plan is to help their rich housing developer donors build more luxury condos.
"New Democrats want shovels in the ground, building new affordable housing as soon as possible. And we are calling on the government to immediately create a housing acquisition fund to stop the loss of low-cost rental homes."
Dominic Long, Port Coquitlam's director of community safety and corporate services:
"Port Coquitlam established the 3030 Gordon Emergency Shelter Task Force in response to community concerns regarding the impacts from homelessness. The conclusions of the report demonstrate that homelessness, mental health and addiction remain complicated and inter-connected issues involving multiple stakeholders. City staff regularly attend the Tri-Cities Homeless Task Force Meetings as well as the Community Advisory Committee meeting at 3030 Gordon. Both Committees are made of various stakeholders including staff from the Tri Cities, Rain City, BC Housing and Fraser Health.
"Earlier this year, the city advocated to keep a homeless shelter in the Tri-Cities open as it was due to cease operation. The shelter was renewed for another year by BC Housing and now provides over forty rooms for those that are homeless in the Tri-cities. In addition, the city supports a winter shelter for those that were unsheltered during the coldest and most challenging months of the year. Furthermore our city continues to do our part, this year alone over 600 units of non-market housing were approved and are now in various stages of development.
"Our bylaw staff conduct regular daily patrols of the downtown as well as other areas to address the issues and connect persons in need with outreach services."
Meghan Lahti, Port Moody mayor:
"We have certainly been waiting a while for the results of this count, which took place in early 2023. It was very disappointing to learn that the Tri-Cities count has increased by 86 per cent from 86 individuals to 160. While this is a snapshot of homelessness in the region, it is, in my opinion, reflective of a very disappointing trend.
"I should note that while there is no breakdown for the number of individuals that have no shelter in Port Moody specifically, it is not surprising to see this overall increase as it has been noticeable in the community of late.
"With regards to what Port Moody is doing to address this issue, I can provide the following information.
"The city provides space for the operation of a 15-bed emergency weather response shelter (EWR), and has done so for the past few years. This shelter is run by Progressive Housing from October through May during adverse weather conditions.
"In addition, the city helped to secure $877,000 in funding for the Tri City region to expand outreach services in the region. This funding has been dispersed to hire and operate, outreach teams, starting in August 2022 through June 2024.
"The city is also working with BC Housing to identify potential opportunities for a supportive housing project in Port Moody.
"Lastly, the city is working to be part of the solution to this problem and looks for the inclusion of affordable housing in every application that is received."
