Healthy City Strategy goal 2: A home for everyone

A home for everyone

Goal

A range of affordable housing choices is available for all Vancouverites.

Targets

End street homelessness
Enable 2,900 new supportive housing units
Add 5,000 new social housing units

Overview

Having a place to call home gives us a sense of security, control, belonging, identity, and privacy. There has been some progress toward affordable housing targets, though more work remains. Vancouver is less affordable than other cities, and rental vacancy rates are lower.

Considerations for this goal include:

Homelessness and related physical and mental health issues
Housing affordability

Progress we've made so far

Healthy City Dashboard

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RENTALS SINCE 2011

TOTAL: 12,706
Source: City of Vancouver, Housing Policy and Projects, 2016

How we measure change

We use a number of data sources to monitor trends in the health of the city. We monitor progress toward A Home for Everyone using data from the federal census program, the annual homeless count and monitoring of new housing development projects.
Households spending 30% or more of income on housing
- 37% of households spend more than 30% of total income on shelter costs (2016)
  Source: Long-form Census/ National Household Survey (Statistics Canada)
Sheltered and unsheltered homeless
- There are 1,522 sheltered and 659 street homeless persons counted (2018)
  Source: City of Vancouver, Homeless Count
- 35% of sheltered and 46% of unsheltered homeless persons counted report Indigenous identity (2018)
  Source: City of Vancouver, Homeless Count
New supportive, social, secured rental and secondary rental housing units
- 1,780 supportive, 3,535 social, and 7,391 secured rental have been committed, constructed or completed since 2011 (2017)
  Source: City of Vancouver, Housing Policy and Projects
One supportive housing project previously reported is now on hold.
2015-2018 Priority actions

Actions are being undertaken through the Vancouver Housing and Homelessness Strategy.
The Vancouver Housing and Homelessness Strategy has three key strategic directions:
1. To increase the supply of affordable housing;
2. to encourage a housing mix across all neighbourhoods that enhances quality of life; and
3. to provide strong leadership and support partners to enhance housing stability.

Initiatives helping us reach these goals and targets

Housing Vancouver Strategy

Learn how our 10-year strategy provides a strong foundation for the future in Vancouver.

Neighbourhood planning projects

Community plans are important road maps that provide clear but flexible frameworks to guide positive change and development in neighbourhoods

Go in-depth

Updates, documents, and background

Get the full details about the Healthy City Strategy.