Homelessness in Vancouver is on the rise, yet again.
The results of the 2016 annual homeless count are in and there are 101 more people on the streets of Vancouver without a permanent home than in 2015.
A total of 1,847 people have been identified as homeless: 1,308 of them live in shelters, but 539 have no roof at all over their heads. In 2015, 1,746 people were identified as homeless – with 1,258 living in shelters.
The count results also suggest the majority of Vancouver’s homeless population are men (76 per cent). Thirty-eight per cent identify as Aboriginal. Fifty-three per cent are afflicted by an addiction and 40 per cent suffer from a mental illness.
Sixty-one per cent had been homeless for less than a year and 71 per cent of homeless people who have been in Vancouver for one year or less came from outside Metro Vancouver.
The count was conducted on March 10 by 450 volunteers.
To see the full results of the report, go here.