Homelessness is up in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, and the entire region, according to the latest numbers from Metro Vancouver.
Region-wide, there were 30 per cent more homeless people this year, compared to three years ago, found Metro Vancouver’s 2017 homeless count, done over two days in March.
In Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, another 40 people were without homes, almost a 50-per-cent increase.
This year, a total of 124 people were homeless, compared to 84 from three years ago.
The issue now faces every part of Metro Vancouver, said Mike Clay, with Metro Vancouver.
A total of 3,605 people were without a place to live throughout the region.
“We just need to do more because these counts continue to rise,” said Clay. “Looking at some different ways of addressing the problem. Some of these problems aren’t just a matter of putting more money in but targeting proper money and resources in different areas.”
While detailed demographic data hasn’t yet been released, initial stats indicate a sharp increase in the number of First Nations homelessness in Metro Vancouver.
“There is a serious overrepresentation of homeless Aboriginal people in this region,” said Lu’Ma Native Housing Society director Claire Marshall.
One-third of Metro Vancouver’s homeless population identify as First Nations. Less than 10 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s population is First Nations.
The B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association conducted the count.
