More People are Experiencing Homelessness in the Region

The preliminary figures for the FVRD’s seventh tri-annual Point-in-Time (PiT) Homeless Count and Survey were released today. On March 7 and 8, 2023, local service providers conducted a 24-hour point-in-time survey of individuals experiencing homelessness in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Kent, Harrison Hot Springs, Hope, and select locations within FVRD’s unincorporated electoral areas.

“The data collected in the tri-annual Homeless Count is beneficial in improving supports for those experiencing homelessness,” said Jason Lum, FVRD Chair. “It is important to note the data is not intended to include a count of every person experiencing homelessness. The consistent application of PiT Count Methodology is used to measure trends in the extent of homelessness within a given area,” he said.  

Survey results and the enumeration of those experiencing homelessness (which combines survey data plus full shelter beds on the night of the count) is used to improve supports for those experiencing homelessness, identify unmet housing needs, determine potential gaps in related health services, and support funding applications for local housing and homelessness initiatives.

Almost twenty years of enumeration data and survey findings have contributed to local, regional, provincial, and national understanding of homelessness. This work relies significantly on the collaboration and support provided by municipal staff and nearly one hundred volunteers in 2023 from over thirty local service agencies and other stakeholder groups.

Preliminary findings indicate an upward trend in the experience of homelessness within the region, a shift towards longer periods of homelessness, significant health and addiction challenges, and older demographics. In 2023, 1,081 individuals experiencing homelessness were enumerated, compared to 895 in 2020. This is an additional 186 people, or a 21% increase since the previous count in 2020 (before the Covid19 pandemic) and a 163% increase since 2004, when the first count occurred. Of those individuals enumerated, 1,037 participated in the survey.

A final report on the 2023 Homeless Point-in-time Count and Survey will be available this fall, and will include regional and community-specific summaries and breakdowns of enumeration figures and survey results.