2020 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver
Media Advisory
VANCOUVER, BC (March 2, 2020)
WHAT: The 2020 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver will take place throughout the region over a 24-hour period between March 3 and 4. More than 1,200 volunteers will participate in 17 Metro Vancouver communities, counting people at shelters on the evening of March 3 and surveying people on the street on March 4.
The count represents a conservative, point-in-time snapshot of people who are experiencing homelessness on a given day in the Metro Vancouver region, and has three main goals:
- To estimate the number of people who are experiencing homelessness;
- To obtain a demographic profile of people through the count survey; and,
- To identify long-term trends in the number and profile of people who are experiencing homelessness.
BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) will conduct (with community partner organizations) the Homeless Count on behalf of Vancity Community Foundation (VCF), the Reaching Home (RH) interim Community Entity.
Results of the count will be released in fall 2020.
WHERE: The Homeless Count will take place in the following communities:
- Burnaby
- Delta
- Langley (City and Township)
- New Westminster
- North Shore (City and District of North Vancouver and West Vancouver)
- Richmond
- Ridge Meadows (Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows)
- Surrey
- Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody)
- Vancouver
- White Rock
The Fraser Valley Regional District also conducts a homeless count on March 3/4.
WHEN: March 3 (shelter count) and March 4 (6 a.m. to midnight)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Our primary goal is to ensure the Homeless Count proceeds with as little disruption as possible for people experiencing homelessness. Please do not approach volunteers conducting surveys. On March 4 media will receive a press release with photos and video clips taken that morning in Vancouver. As such, we ask that media do not photograph and respect the privacy of individuals who are being surveyed.
To arrange an interview with Jill Atkey, CEO of BCNPHA, or a local area spokesperson in a particular community, please contact:
Dean Pogas, Director of Communications
604-363-6590 (mobile)
dean@bcnpha.ca
Background:
The 2020 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver is an initiative of the Reaching Home Interim Community Entity, Vancity Community Foundation and the Community Advisory Board (CAB). The Homeless Count is delivered in partnership with the Indigenous Reaching Home Community Entity, the Indigenous Homelessness Steering Committee, and the Council of Community Homelessness Tables.
The Metro Vancouver Homeless Count takes place every three years in coordination with other provincial and federal counts and provides critical information to government, social agencies, and other groups about the region’s homeless population.
In 2017, a total of 3,605 people were found experiencing homelessness in the Metro Vancouver region. More than 75% of individuals counted were found in Vancouver (59%) and Surrey (17%). In addition, 34% of respondents identified as Indigenous/Aboriginal, compared to 2% of the general population.
About BCNPHA:
BCNPHA is the industry association for the social housing sector in BC. It represents, educates and provides service to more than 700 non-profit housing providers that operate more than 60,000 units of long and short-term affordable housing across the province. www.bcnpha.ca
About Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy
Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. Reaching Home is funded by the Government of Canada and delivered by a local Community Entity.
About Vancity Community Foundation
Vancity Community Foundation (VCF) has long championed innovative housing solutions and has proven experience managing federal homelessness funds in the region. As the interim Community Entity, VCF works with the Community Advisory Board and partners, including the local Indigenous Community Entity and Council of Community Homelessness Tables, to support service delivery and system coordination to address homelessness.