The Homelessness Services Association of B.C. released preliminary data for the 2025 Metro Vancouver point-in-time homeless count in July and recently released its finalized report.
One key note about the study is that it does not capture everyone experiencing homelessness. The data represents the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness. That being said, it is extremely valuable to show the trend in the number of people who are experiencing homelessness.
Unsurprisingly, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to grow in Metro Vancouver. About 70% of people experiencing homelessness are in Vancouver and Surrey. Places that traditionally have had a limited number of people experiencing homelessness, such as Delta and White Rock, are also seeing increases, though at a much lower rate. In total, 5,232 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in the 2025 point-in-time count.
The following chart shows the number of people experiencing homelessness in Langley City and Township over the years. Data split by municipality is not available in the report.
In total, 243 people, 5% of the total count in Metro Vancouver, were experiencing homelessness at the time of the count in Langley City and Township. 138 people were unsheltered, meaning they weren’t temporarily sheltered in places like the Gateway of Hope.
Some other notes are that Indigenous people are overrepresented in the population of people experiencing homelessness as a result of intergenerational trauma, residential schools, and colonial practices.
Another alarming trend is that the length of time people are experiencing homelessness is increasing. Up until 2020, about half of the people were experiencing homelessness for more than a year. In 2023, this increased to 69%; by this year, it was 75%. This trend means that people who are experiencing homelessness do not have pathways out of homelessness.
About 2/3rds of people experiencing homelessness have mental health and substance challenges from the point-in-time data.
So, what does this mean, and where do we need to go?
The provincial government must continue to invest in long-term mental health care with housing. This is essential. They must also increase treatment options for people with substance use issues. With these options in place, people will have a path off the streets or emergency shelter services. Expanding and investing in these areas will help a large number of people who are currently experiencing homelessness.
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