The 2025 Homeless Count in Greater Vancouver saw volunteers and people who work on the front lines with the street population in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows reaching out, and gathering information.
The count tries to shed light on who is living without housing, why, and for how long. The count can also identify factors that put individuals at greater risk of experiencing homelessness.
During the last count, which took place in 2023, there were 135 people experiencing homelessness in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, which was an increase of 17 per cent from the 2020 count.
It is called a point-in-time count – and it is a snapshot from a single day. The count is anonymous, and took place until midnight March 11.
Ginna Berg, the executive director of the Fraser River Indigenous Society, coordinated the local count at Maple Ridge's Salvation Army building. FRIS took the lead on the homeless count, and Berg noted that during the last homeless count, the homeless population included a disproportionate 33 per cent of people who identify as Indigenous, while just two per cent of the Greater Vancouver population is First Nations.
"Today we are doing the point-in-time count where we are trying to get a really good grasp on what is happening in our area – the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Area," said Berg.
She said the count was "not just about the number of people, but what their stories are, and how did they get to where they are."
She noted this count will ask questions about the struggles people have in paying their rents, and reached out to people who may not live on the streets, but are staying with friends, family, or living in their vehicles, and don't have a home.
"It's about who is homeless, and how far are many of us from being in a situation where technically we could be considered homeless, but we're not out on the street," explained Berg.
At the Salvation Army there was food being served, performances provided by musicians Kat Wahamaa and Tony Rees, and the Low Barrier Chorus, and First Nations dancer Jane Wiley.
Staff from Coast Mental Health, Alouette Addictions, Unlocking the Gates and many other organizations were taking part in the count, alongside people with lived experience.
Berg said it was "a unique experience for them to work together on something they feel passionate about."
"People are trying to do their best in this town."
The count is funded by the federal government, as part of Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy. The Count is carried out by the Homelessness Services Association of B.C and Infocus Consulting.
The information gathered in the count will be tabulated, and the results released in the coming months.
