A total of 129 people were reported as experiencing homelessness in Sechelt and Gibsons in the latest point-in-time count. That’s up from the last count in 2023 in the region which recorded 97 people.
The count included sheltered and unsheltered people. Sheltered homelessness can include people who were staying overnight at a shelter, hospital, holding cells or other forms of overnight shelter on the night of the count (March 5, 2025).
The count recorded 62 unsheltered people and 67 who were sheltered.
The count also asked people how long they have been in the community and found 92 per cent of the people had been in the area for one or more years, 71 per cent reported being in the community for five or more years and 17 per cent said they have always been in the area.
A report on the count notes Indigenous people are consistently overrepresented in the population of people experiencing homelessness as 32 per cent of respondents identified as Indigenous. It also notes Indigenous people make up eight per cent of the census population.
The most common reported cause of homelessness in the region was not having enough income; 27 per cent of respondents said this is what caused them to lose housing while 20 per cent reported a conflict with their spouse and 19 per cent reported other conflicts.
Most people who are experiencing homelessness are between the ages of 25 and 54; 19 per cent are seniors and three per cent are youths under 25.
Of the respondents, 18 per cent reported having a full or part-time job.
The data also includes substance use and health challenges, with 60 per cent of respondents having reported substance use and 67 reported mental health challenges.
Of the people who reported substance use, 35 per cent reported using opiates, 47 reported using stimulants, 47 reported using alcohol, 57 reported using cannabis and 68 per cent reported using nicotine.
The province has released count data from 20 communities this year.
