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Vancouver’s annual homeless count underway

There were 2,181 people who were homeless in 2018
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A homeless man sleeps in a doorway in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Monday, Dec.19, 2016. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

Volunteers are hitting the streets across Vancouver on Tuesday to conduct the annual homeless count.

Each year, the count gives a 24-hour snapshot in time of how many people are without a place to live in B.C.’s largest city.

Last year, 2,181 people were found living on the street or had no fixed address and were staying at shelters, detox centres, safe houses or hospitals.

Since then, roughly 600 temporary modular homes have been built with funds from both the city and province. It’s estimated that 500 of those units are currently occupied.

READ MORE: Nearly 700 homeless youth in Metro Vancouver point to gaps in housing, advocates say

Across B.C., nearly 8,000 people were homeless in 2018, according to 24 separate counts.


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ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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