A homeless advocacy group says Burnaby is in desperate need of shelter space and treatment facilities.
The number of homeless people counted in Burnaby has tripled in the last six years.
And the number, at 209 people, is a vast undercount, according to the executive director of the Society to End Homelessness in Burnaby.
Almost half of the people counted have been in the Burnaby community for five years or more, according to the data presented by executive director Carol-Ann Flanagan at a city council meeting Oct. 16.
"We know that those who are in shelter want to stay in their community, and Burnaby is their community," Flanagan said. "They're not coming from other places."
The numbers come from a count done March 7 and 8, showing a 69 per cent increase since 2020.
It was a point-in-time count, which Flanagan noted does not take into consideration the hidden homeless such as women fleeing abuse or couch-surfing students.
"They're not here; they're not in this data. … When we say it's an undercount, it really is an undercount," she said.
Indigenous people were over-represented in the count, with 27 per cent of respondents identifying as Indigenous, compared to 1.5 per cent of the census population.
The count showed there were 77 people on the street and not in shelters. Fourteen were in the emergency warming shelter, 92 people were in shelters, and 26 people had no fixed address.
"We are in desperate need of shelter space, of a winter shelter," Flanagan said. "We just – we need it."
Treatment centre wanted in Burnaby
Flanagan also advocated for a treatment centre in Burnaby for people dealing with addiction.
When people need treatment, there's a small window of opportunity for them to get access, she said.
"Except there's no treatment space. There's nothing. There's nothing. When it comes to that, we do need to have more treatment space here in Burnaby."
But Mayor Mike Hurley wouldn't make any promises.
He told the NOW it's "outside the realm of council," and instead falls under Fraser Health's mandate.
"We believe we need more centres, for sure, and we would be willing to assist them in the process," he said.
"Not financially, but perhaps with facilities; however, we don't have the expertise to govern or manage that type of thing."
The NOW asked if this were the "Burnaby answer," to shift social services off to other municipalities, like Vancouver.
"Vancouver doesn't pay for any of those services, I can tell you," Hurley said. "That's done through Coastal Health."
"You may say it's a Burnaby answer, but really it's the only one we can give."
