Surrey homeless numbers skyrocket as public confidence in solutions drops

Canadians think homelessness is a “major” problem, but the number of people who are optimistic about solutions is dropping, according to a new poll.

The latest homeless count numbers from Metro Vancouver offer a good reason why more people are becoming pessimistic.

The Research Co. online survey found that 55% of Canadians think that, with the proper funding and policies, homelessness can “definitely” or “probably” be eradicated in Canada – which is down six points since a similar Research Co. poll from early 2024.

The poll was released at about the same time as the latest Point-In-Time Homeless count numbers which shows a dramatic increase in the number of unhoused people.

The count found 5,232 people experiencing homelessness in a 24-hour period in Metro Vancouver, which is a nine per cent increase from 2023.

In Surrey, the number of people considered as “unsheltered” jumped by 46 per cent between 2023 and 2025. For the “sheltered” category, the number in Surrey actually dropped by 16 per cent.

In the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows area, the number of people considered as “unsheltered” skyrocketed by 66 per cent, while the number of “sheltered” rose by 22 per cent.

By comparison, in the Tri-Cities the number of people considered as “unsheltered” rose by 11 per cent.

“This increase is consistent with the growth trend since regional point-in-time homeless counts began in 2005, with the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness from 2005 to 2025 increasing by 141 per cent,” said the Point-In-Time report. “Comparatively, Statistics Canada estimates that the Vancouver census metropolitan area’s total population from 2005 to 2024 has increased by 44 per cent.”

The homeless count was conducted by the Homelessness Services Association of BC, with nearly 400 volunteers and staff members out in various communities in March of this year.

“While counts are an accepted methodological tool, the numbers are understood to be the minimum number of people who are experiencing homelessness on a given day in a community,” reads a statement in the report. “Percentages are based on numbers of respondents to each question, not the total population experiencing homelessness.”

The definition of homeless used for the report is anyone who doesn’t have a place to rent. Some are considered “sheltered” but who are, for example, staying in a homeless shelter, transition or safe house, jail or detox facility.

Unsheltered also includes survey respondents who indicated that they had been evicted from their current housing and had to vacate before the end of March, with no prospects for immediate rehousing.

The number of respondents who were unsheltered in Metro Vancouver increased by 30 per cent from 1,461 individuals in 2023, to 1,893 in 2025. And the proportion of those who are experiencing homelessness who are unsheltered is increasing, from 30 per cent in 2023 to 36 per cent in 2025.

When it comes to ages, 72 per cent of those considered homeless were between the ages of 25 and 54, while 22 per cent are 55 and older, and six per cent are under the age of 25.

Of important note, the over-representation of Indigenous Peoples among the homeless population has remained relatively similar from 2005 to 2025, at 34 per cent, with the number of respondents who identified as Indigenous increasing from 515 in 2005 to 1,068 in 2025,” the report said. “This continued over-representation reflects the ‘enduring effects of colonization, the legacy of the residential school system and the impact of child welfare and the foster care system continue to impact the daily experience of many Indigenous Peoples and families, and directly contribute to the high incidence of Indigenous homelessness.”