Provincial posted Dec 23, 2023 @ 09:00am by Canadian Press

Social housing wait-list grows 27% in Metro Vancouver

Data from Metro Vancouver show the queue for social housing in the region has spiked in the past year, with 18,865 households on the wait−list, mostly seniors and families.

Metro Vancouver’s Housing Data Book for December 2023 shows BC Housing’s wait−list grew 27% since 2022 in the region that is made up of 21 municipalities and other administrative areas.

<who> Photo Credit: Canadian Press

The data book says homelessness is up 33% since 2020 and 122% since 2005, even as more supportive housing is being built.

It says low vacancy rates have seen rent more than double since 2002, including a 30% jump in median rental rates in the past five years.

Metro Vancouver says the BC Housing wait−list isn’t "exhaustive" for all regional social housing needs and the last five years have seen wait−lists grow massively in "outlying municipalities."

These include Langley, which saw a 113% jump in its wait−list, Delta with a 108% jump, and Richmond, which saw an 82% increase.

A news release from Metro Vancouver says the data book provides "a comprehensive look at the region’s housing market and the people impacted by it."

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