British Columbia·NewHomeless people and their advocates on Vancouver Island say there is more to meets the eye when it comes to recent reports that show fewer unhoused people in their communities.Homeless point-in-time counts are meant to provide a snapshot of number of unhoused people in a communityMaryse Zeidler · CBC News · Posted: Oct 13, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoSome worry recent homeless count data does not reflect the actual situation in several communities. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)Homeless people and their advocates on Vancouver Island and B.C.’s Sunshine Coast say there is more to meets the eye when it comes to recent reports that show fewer unhoused people in their communities.Powell River resident Joseline Bakker, who has been homeless for about 10 years, said the most recent homeless count for her community on the Sunshine Coast doesn’t match her experience. “I’m outraged because that is not true at all,” Bakker told CBC News during a recent dinner service offered by the qathet Coalition to End Homelessness. “It’s really bad here.”The 2025 homeless count in Powell River shows a nearly 40 per cent drop from 2023 in the number of people who are unhoused — from 126 to 80 people. That includes anyone staying in a shelter like a transition house or detox facility, as well as unsheltered people living on the street or couch surfing.In an email to CBC News, the coalition said it doesn’t believe the results are an accurate reflection of what’s happening in the community. “What we see and experience is that folks who were chronically unhoused in 2023 continue to be unhoused,” the coalition said.”More and more people are precariously housed or facing eviction now. And the number of accessible/affordable market rental units is shrinking at the same time.”Read more stories from Vancouver IslandNumbers drop in 8 of 20 communitiesHomeless point-in-time counts, meant to provide a snapshot of homelessness, have been happening in some B.C. communities since 2002. The province started funding them in 2018. Because the count takes place in a single day, the province acknowledges that it may not include people who cycle in and out of homelessness, nor is it an accurate reflection of everyone experiencing homelessness in a region. Vancouver has been capturing its homeless count since 2002. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)This year, the province captured data from 20 communities, while some cities like Vancouver conduct their own homeless counts. Of the province’s 20 counts, eight communities showed the number of unhoused people had dropped: Campbell River, the Comox Valley, Dawson Creek, Parksville/Qualicum, Powell River, Prince Rupert, Terrace and Vernon. More housing, fewer sheltersShawn Decaire, former manager of drop-in centre and winter shelter Kwesa Place in Campbell River, said the snapshot-in-time nature of the count is problematic. “There’s still an abundance of the homeless here and there’s more than there was in March, that’s for sure,” Decaire said, referring to when the count took place. Decaire said the new Homewood Centre in Campbell River would have reduced the city’s homeless numbers since 2023, but the closure of Kwesa Place and the 20 winter shelter beds it provided would change those numbers yet again. Campbell River, B.C., on northern Vancouver Island, also showed a decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness compared to 2023. (Maryse Zeidler/CBC)Similarly in Powell River, Bakker says the numbers seem lower because the count took place right around the time the city’s only homeless shelter was closing. She says that pushed unhoused residents further away. “That’s why they said there’s a big decrease,” she said. “It’s not right out in everybody’s faces anymore.”Fewer participantsOver in Parksville, advocates are also questioning the results. The numbers in the region show a drop from 103 to 94 people experiencing homelessness, but Susanna Newton with the Society of Organized Services (SOS) said that doesn’t ring true with her either. “As a local service provider, and in talks with other agencies’ outreach workers, there certainly doesn’t appear to be a reduction in the number of individuals supported,” Newton said in an email.She said the feedback SOS got from outreach workers was that fewer people were willing to participate in the count this year. Meanwhile, she said, there is still no shelter in the region. Complex situationsIn the Comox Valley, Dayna Forsgren with the Coalition to End Homelessness is a bit more hopeful, but she says a lot of the data is still concerning. The numbers in the Comox Valley show a drop from 272 to 218 homeless people. Forsgren said new affordable housing units have likely helped. But she points out that the region has seen an increase in unsheltered homeless, from 95 to 137.The Comox Valley is a community on mid-Vancouver Island (Maryse Zeidler/CBC)”When we’re speaking to service providers, we’re still seeing many of those experiencing homelessness are in such complex situations that they are remaining homeless,” Forsgren said.”It’s of no fault to them personally. It’s often related to vulnerabilities that they cannot help. ” Forsgren says those complex needs include chronic illness, disabilities and racial discrimination.Indigenous people are consistently overrepresented in most homeless counts. In the Comox Valley, 25 per cent of those who participated identified as Indigenous, even though Indigenous people only make up four per cent of the census population.However, Forsgren hopes the decrease in overall homeless numbers in the valley is a trend —albeit one that shows more work is needed to help people get and stay off the streets. “We need to see that support for both shelters and affordable housing coming into our community,” she said.ABOUT THE AUTHORMaryse Zeidler is an award-winning reporter who covers news from Nanaimo and north Vancouver Island. Have a news tip? You can reach her at maryse.zeidler@cbc.ca.With files from Janella Hamilton
Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast advocates question drop in numbers from B.C.’s 2025 homeless count
