Upcoming Homeless Count for Squamish to take place on April 29, with the nighttime shelter count on April 28, 2021.

As in previous years, the goals of the 2021 Homeless Count are to obtain an estimate on the number of people who are experiencing homelessness in our community, to obtain a demographic profile of the homeless through the count survey, and to identify long-term data trends.

In 2021, BC Housing has retained the Homelessness Services Association of B.C. (HSABC) to support these counts in 16 communities across the province, including ours. SSCS has been contracted to support community agencies in our 24-hour count. This count is the rescheduled Count Date from 2020. The methodology will be consistent with the methodology that would have been used in 2020, but there are some modifications to ensure that we can maintain COVID-19 safety, so we might be looking for your help in a bit of a different way this year.

Findings of the 2018 Homeless Count

A total of 7,655 individuals were identified as experiencing homelessness in the 2018 Report on Homeless Counts in B.C. This included 219 children who were under the age of 19 and accompanied by a parent or guardian. The majority were sheltered (63%) and 37% were unsheltered. A total of 1,904 survey respondents identified as Indigenous, representing 38% of all respondents. According to the 2016 Census, Indigenous people accounted for six percent (6%) of B.C.’s total population.

If you or someone your know is unconventionally housed (camping, staying with friends, living in a vehicle or RV), count yourself in!

You can access the full 2018 report here