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:
- Estimate the number of people who are experiencing homelessness.
- Obtain a demographic profile of people through the count survey.
- 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 |