2023 Point-in-Time Homeless Counts 

From March to early May 2023, there will be numerous Point-in-Time Homeless Count across BC. These Counts collect details about the experiences and demographics of people who are experiencing homelessness. We want to better understand how people are experiencing homelessness and what has changed since the last Point-in-Time Homeless Counts in 2020 and 2021. It will provide valuable insight into how the past few years—including the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, the housing crisis—have impacted the unhoused community.

There three main goals of Point-In-Time Homeless Counts:

  1. Estimate the number of people who are experiencing homelessness.
  2. Obtain a demographic profile of people through the count survey.
  3. Identify long-term trends in the number and profile of people who are experiencing homelessness.

While there is an urgency for action, solutions must be trauma-informed, culturally safe, incorporate harm reduction, oriented towards social justice and equity, and contribute to decolonization and anti-discrimination. That’s why it’s vital to better understand who – and why – people are unhoused. The Counts provide communities and all levels of government with information they can rely on to make informed, compassionate, and swift decisions that support pathways out of homelessness.

Provincial Counts (dates are subject to change):

Sechelt/Gibson March 3, 2023
Quesnel  March 10, 2023
Williams Lake March 10, 2023
Comox Valley March 14, 2023
Merritt March 15, 2023
Fort St. John March 16, 2023
Dawson Creek March 17, 2023
Kitimat March 28, 2023
Salmon Arm April 6, 2023
Smithers April 11, 2023
Cranbrook April 13, 2023
Prince Rupert April 13, 2023
Powell River April 17, 2023
Terrace April 18, 2023
Squamish April 25, 2023
Campbell River April 26, 2023
Parksville/Qualicum April 26, 2023
Vernon April 28, 2023
Penticton April 28, 2023
Port Alberni May 2, 2023

Other communities conducting counts in 2023:

Capital Regional District
Cowichan Valley
Fraser Valley Regional District
Greater Vancouver
Kamloops
Nanaimo
Salt Spring Island