The percentage of people sleeping rough on the North Shore is growing far faster than the population living comfortably in houses and condos. The latest Point-In-Time Homeless Count found a 67 per cent increase from 2023 to 2025 in the number of people living unsheltered on the North Shore.
Because of the limitations in the count’s methods, we know the actual number is always much higher.
This should be a great worry and dishonour for us all.
It is true that homelessness is often tied to complex and intersecting stories of personal trauma, poverty, mental health problems and addiction, and none of those things are easy to solve on their own. But they are beyond intractable for someone who must sleep in the elements at night.
The stability that safe and affordable housing provides is foundational to a healthy life.
And more than having to endure a truly miserable experience, a person living on the street inevitably ends up costing the system much more as their problems compound.
The only answer is more affordable housing. That takes three things in large quantities – land, capital and political will.
To their great credit, District of North Vancouver council members unanimously approved a deeply unpopular supportive housing project on Keith Road last year. But the majority of those same council members voted against a recent motion to offer up more land and seek more senior government funding partners to build more affordable housing.
The crisis isn’t going to get any better on its own. The longer we wait, the more people will suffer and the more it will cost.
Now is the time.
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