Metro Vancouver saw an overall 30 per cent increase in homelessness in 2017 when compared to 2014, and Burnaby was no exception.
According to the final results of the 2017 homeless count, Burnaby saw a 19 per cent jump in its homeless population, confirming the preliminary findings released in April.
Volunteers counted 69 homeless people on March 8, up from 58 in 2014.
The 24-hour snapshot showed that 49 of the 69 were adults who were unsheltered. That means they were either couch surfing or living outside, including in alleys, doorways, parkades, parks and in cars.
The other 20 sheltered individuals were staying at an extreme weather shelter, a transition house or a safe house. (Burnaby does not have a permanent homeless shelter.)
“It is very difficult to find safe, affordable housing here,” said Wanda Mulholland, coordinator of the Society to End Homelessness in Burnaby. “I think that’s reflected in the count. We know the count is the absolute minimal number of people who could be found to be homeless within that 24 hours. We know that that snapshot more likely is between 250 and 300 people.”
The count, which occurs every three years, showed 27 per cent of those counted in Burnaby were children and youth under the age of 25.
Of the 12 Metro Vancouver communities included in the count, Burnaby has the fifth largest homeless youth population in the region, noted Mulholland.
“When you compare that 27 per cent with 16 per cent in Metro Vancouver as a whole, that’s significantly different,” she said.
Burnaby’s homeless also included a significant number of seniors – two sheltered and 16 unsheltered, as well as 14 Indigenous people.
Meanwhile, 48 homeless people said they have lived in Burnaby for a year or more.
“These are Burnaby people who are struggling to function without a very basic right of housing,” said Mulholland.
Vancouver, Surrey and Langley had the region’s highest homeless population.
