Surrey grapples with growing homelessness as advocates call for more supportive housing
Upkar Singh Tatlay walks through a vacant property in Surrey, which he says he wants to transform into a neighborhood house — a hub where vulnerable residents and the broader community can access vital services.
"We want the community as a whole to feel welcome here," he says, pointing out to the home's various spaces.
His not-for-profit, Engaged Communities Canada Society, provides services ranging from personal hygiene products to emergency shelter and relief supplies during extreme weather.
Tatley says they do their best to keep up with demand, but that the growing need for support in Surrey is outpacing their efforts.
"Food security challenges ... health challenges in the community seem to be increasing in exponential rate, as well as with housing challenges," he said.
Rising homelessness in Surrey
Surrey's rapid population growth and escalating rental rates have exacerbated the housing crisis, which housing advocates and service providers say has left them scrambling to meet the growing demand.
The number of unhoused people in Surrey has soared by 65 per cent since 2020, according to city statistics. Of the estimated 1,060 homeless residents, as of October 2023, more than 400 were unsheltered.
According to the city, rental rates also rose by 74 per cent between 2015 and 2023.
Steven Hall, who works with Together We Can, which offers addiction treatment, transitional housing and after-care initiatives, says the pressure to find affordable housing is felt across the support sector.
"There's not a lot of spaces out there and the funding is fairly limited," he said.
"The unfortunate reality is the pressure is being put on us as a service provider to try and get as many people into treatment for as cheap as possible while still providing a high level of care."
City officials have acknowledged the challenges, noting that people relying on income assistance, disability benefits or lower-wage jobs are at an increased risk of homelessness.
Urgency to meet the demand
Currently, city reports show Surrey has 536 shelter beds and just over 1,000 supportive and transitional housing units.
But a recently adopted Homelessness Plan outlines a need for 2,326 new spaces and units by 2029, including 354 shelter spaces and 780 supportive housing units.
Calls for more supportive housing have grown louder after Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim announced a plan to halt to such projects in his city, urging other municipalities, including Surrey, to share the responsibility.
According to Sim, Vancouver has 77 per cent of the region's supportive services, including housing and shelters, but only 25 per cent of the population.
Surrey Coun. Linda Annis says she agrees.
"I think it's a very fair comment," she told CBC News. "We aren't building enough, absolutely, no question about that."
But Annis also stressed that supportive housing must come with the proper infrastructure to succeed.
"We need to make sure that we've got great operators and we've got the wraparound services to support the housing units."
WATCH | Housing minister questions Vancouver mayor's Downtown Eastside plan:
Minister takes aim at Vancouver mayor's housing plan for Downtown Eastside | Canada Tonight
2 days ago
Duration 8:42
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has unveiled a controversial plan to revitalize the city's Downtown Eastside, an area once described as Canada's poorest postal code, that would halt the construction of net-new supportive housing units. Ravi Kahlon, B.C. minister of housing and municipal affairs, says linking supportive housing to crime is 'false' and a 'major challenge.'
B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says he agrees other communities in the region need to do more to support their vulnerable residents, but questioned Sim's strategy.
"The simple truth is that if we don't get housing built, more people will end up living on the street or in encampments," he said in a statement to CBC News. "That doesn't work for folks living outside and it doesn't work for communities who have to bear the brunt of encampments."
Kahlon also praised Surrey for embracing supportive housing, and completing some of the "Lower Mainland's most innovative supportive housing projects there."
The minister says he is committed to working with municipalities and community partners to expand housing initiatives.
In the meantime, Tatlay says he remains focused on immediate solutions, hoping to have the Surrey neighborhood house operational within weeks.
"We want to make sure that we're providing medical services, food security services, that we're arriving where the impact is going to be felt the most, where people are really requiring the services the most," he said.
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