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Homelessness in Vancouver

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Homelessness in Vancouver

Homelessness has been a growing issue in Greater Vancouver since the 1980s. The City works to reduce homelessness through community grants, the development of social housing, relocation services for those who are homeless and involvement with regional homeless committee.

The Homeless Action Plan (June 2005), identifies roles for all levels of government, business and the community and focuses on income, housing and support service.

• Homeless Action Plan June 2005 ( PDF, 745KB)
• Sustaining the Momentum: Recommendations for a National Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness ( PDF, 200KB)
  This report advocates a long term funding framework together with a comprehensive national strategy focusing on eliminating chronic homelessness and significantly reducing the housing need problem that confronts one in every six (1.4 million) Canadian households.
• Housing, Income and Support Inventory 2007 ( PDF, 323KB)
  The 2007 Homeless Inventory has been updated based on the previous inventory completed in 2003. Its main purpose is to comply with the Community Plan Assessment required by HRSDC as part of the wrap up of the National Homelessness Initiative (NHI). It combines the general homeless inventory (adult) with the formerly separate youth and Aboriginal homeless inventories and consists of three separate inventories of housing, income and support services.
• On our streets and in our shelters... ( PDF, 1.24MB)
  This bulletin presents an overview of the findings of the 2005 Greater Vancouver Homeless Count.The Count provides an estimate of the region’s homeless population, demographic information about the homeless population, and a comparison between the 2005 and 2002 counts.
• Vancouver Funding Homelessness Model: More than just a warm bed ( PDF, 752KB)
  This report presents recomendations for a funding and implementation model for addressing the housing and support needs of individuals with addictions, mental illness and other serious mental conditions who require support beyond provision of housing.
• Vancouver Homeless Count 2010 Final Report ( PDF, 2.40MB)
  The Vancouver Homeless Count conducted March 23, 2010 showed an increase in the overall number of homeless people compared to 2008.

The Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness (RSCH) formed in 2000 to bring together a range of people and organisations working to address homelessness in Greater Vancouver communities. The RSCH developed and oversees the implementation of the Regional Homelessness Plan for Greater Vancouver. The Regional Homelessness Plan is titled Three Ways to Home ( PDF, 1.83MB) to reflect the three components of a comprehensive solution to homelessness: affordable housing, support services, and adequate income.

Housing Centre Council Reports on the subject of homelessness include:

• Supporting Homeless Action Week 2009 Activities
• Report Back on the Homeless Emergency Action Team
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Report on Housing and
  Homelessness
• Streetohome Vancouver
• Homeless Action Plan (HAP) Implementation Update (July 2008) ( PDF, 172KB)
• Revised Homeless Action Plan (April 26, 2005) ( PDF, 1.18MB)
• Draft Homeless Action Plan (October 19, 2004)
• Homelessness (February 24, 2004)
• Shelterless in Vancouver 2004 (February 10, 2004)
• Shelterless in Vancouver (June 12, 2001)
• Regional Homelessness Plan for Greater Vancouver (June 12, 2001)
• Housing and Homelessness Grant to FCM (June 11, 2001)

Videos & Presentations on Homelessness

On June 19, 2006 the Housing Centre, in partnership with the Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, organized a session for the World Planners Congress to look at international approaches to combating homelessness. Below are links to the presentations of the five participants.

• Terrie Alafat, Director of the Department of Communities and Local Government, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, London, England ( PDF, 1.32MB)
• Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness ( PDF, 244KB)
• Ilene Popkin, Assistant Commissioner, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development ( PDF, 527KB)
• Becky Kanis, Director of Innovation, Common Ground, New York ( PDF, 401KB)
• Jill Davidson, Senior Housing Planner, Housing Centre, City of Vancouver ( PDF, 1.21MB)

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Questions or Comments? E-mail: housing.policy@vancouver.ca

© 2010 City of Vancouver
Last modified: September 12, 2011