More than 3,500 homeless people living in Metro Vancouver: report
BURNABY, B.C. — Nearly 70 homeless camps have sprouted up across Metro Vancouver in what local politicians say is a system-wide failure affecting the area’s most vulnerable people.
Initial results from the regional district of Metro Vancouver’s 2017 homeless count show there were 3,605 people identified as being homeless on March 8, up 30 per cent from the last regional count in 2014.
The survey covers almost two dozen members in the Metro Vancouver region and takes place once every three years. The count includes people staying in temporary housing such as shelters and on the street, but advocates caution that the actual number of homeless could be much higher.
Mike Clay, Port Moody’s mayor and chairman of Metro Vancouver’s Housing Committee, said the latest numbers show the problem continues to grow and spread across the region.