Vancouver Homeless Population Rises 12% to 2,715 in 2024 Count

# Vancouver Homeless Count Shows 12% Increase to 2,715 Vancouver's homeless population reached 2,715 in 2024, according to a report from the city's general manager of arts, culture and community services. This figure represents a 12% increase from 2023. The data comes from the 2025 Metro Vancouver homeless count, conducted over a 24-hour period in March 2024.

The report breaks down numbers specific to Vancouver and is headed to city council on Tuesday for information purposes, with no voting on policy changes, CBC reported. Vancouver accounts for more than half of Metro Vancouver's homeless population of 5,232, despite comprising just a quarter of the region's population.

About 40% of people counted in Vancouver were unsheltered, while 60% were in emergency shelters, detox centres, transitional housing, hospitals or police facilities.

Demographic Breakdown Highlights Vulnerabilities Women accounted for 28% of Vancouver's homeless population in 2024, up from 23% in 2023.

The report stated that women are less likely to be counted as they are more likely to be hidden, stay temporarily with friends or family and are difficult to find and survey for the count. C. vice-president of housing and violence prevention with the YWCA Metro Vancouver, said many women, particularly those with children, are missing from official counts because they are staying temporarily with friends or family.

Rupert also stated that intimate partner violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women. Forty-two per cent of respondents in Vancouver identified as Indigenous in 2024, compared to 39% in 2023. 5% of Vancouver's population, and 51% of Indigenous people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver were unsheltered, while 35% were sheltered.

Nine per cent of respondents identified as Black or members of the African diaspora in 2024, up from 7% in 2023. Black or African diaspora people account for 1% of Vancouver's population.

Youth and Senior Experiences in Homelessness About three-quarters of respondents in Vancouver were adults.

Nearly half reported first experiencing homelessness as youth. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they had spent time in government care. Among unhoused seniors in Vancouver, 40% said they first became homeless after the age of 55.

City Initiatives on Housing and Support Since 2017, the City of Vancouver has provided 48 sites for the creation of 4,900 units of social and supportive housing.

Of these, 2,800 units are now online. The city will advance another 12 sites in 2025. Vancouver city council has approved $8 million annually to expand mental health and substance use programs. The City of Vancouver provides emergency shelters, supportive housing, outreach, harm reduction and community-based crisis response as complementary initiatives.