National Housing Day: BC Housing, Your Propaganda Doesn’t Match Reality
Today is National Housing Day, and instead of feeling hopeful, I feel angry.
Once again, BC Housing is running polished ads celebrating their “progress,” their “plans,” and their “commitment” to solving homelessness. But when you look at what’s actually happening on the ground, those ads feel like propaganda — glossy words covering up a growing crisis.
Let’s be honest: your plan isn’t working. Not even close.
According to the 2025 Homeless Count, over 5,232 people are unhoused in Greater Vancouver — and 1,893 of them have no shelter at all. That’s human suffering on an enormous scale. And yet, BC Housing keeps congratulating itself.
Worse, there are 1,885 government-funded housing units sitting empty in Vancouver and Victoria. That means nearly 2,000 people could be housed today, but aren’t — because of bureaucracy, mismanagement, and policy failures. Some of these units have been vacant for over 20 months. Twenty months. While people sleep under tarps and in alleys.
Tell me again how the plan is “working.”
The Reality Behind BC Housing’s ‘Strategy2030’
BC Housing’s big roadmap — Strategy2030 — is full of corporate buzzwords:
“modernizing operations,” “homes people need,” “meaningful impact.”
But none of that matters while homelessness keeps rising.
None of it matters while people die outdoors.
None of it matters while funded units sit empty, collecting dust instead of housing real human beings.
If your “vision” doesn’t reduce homelessness, it’s not a vision — it’s marketing.
And Let’s Talk About Executive Pay
BC Housing executives are earning very comfortable salaries — compensation packages designed to “attract and retain top talent.”
So here’s the question:
If thousands are still homeless, and nearly 2,000 units are vacant, what exactly are we paying “top talent” for?
If the homelessness crisis is worsening on your watch, how do you justify six-figure compensation? How do you justify bonuses? How do you sleep at night knowing the gap between your warm home and someone’s tent is widening — and preventable?
What We Need RIGHT NOW
This province doesn’t need another glossy ad. We need action:
1. Fill the empty units immediately.
Lower the barriers. Remove red tape. Use outreach teams to move people in today.
2. Audit the system publicly.
People deserve to know why housing is sitting empty while encampments grow.
3. Make executives accountable.
Tie a portion of their salaries to real outcomes:
- reduced homelessness
- reduced vacancies
- faster placements
- transparency
4. Stop announcing plans and start delivering results.
Every time you run an ad, remember: a homeless person sees that ad too.
A Final Question for BC Housing
On National Housing Day, instead of glossy PR, why not be honest?
Why not admit the system is failing?
Why not take immediate action to house people now?
Why not confront the gap between the promises you advertise and the reality people live?
How do you sleep at night while thousands don’t even have a bed?
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