Tina Winterlik: Nearly 2,000 Public Housing Units Sit Empty While People Sleep on the Streets

Monday, November 24, 2025

Nearly 2,000 Public Housing Units Sit Empty While People Sleep on the Streets

Nearly 2,000 Public Housing Units Sit Empty While People Sleep on the Streets

While BC Housing runs glossy ads about its “plans” and “successes,” the reality on the ground is starkly different. According to the BC Housing Action Coalition (BCHAC), there are 1,885 government-funded housing units sitting empty in Greater Vancouver and Greater Victoria — units that could house nearly 2,000 people today, but remain unused.

Some of these units have been vacant for over 20 months. Meanwhile, people continue to sleep under tarps, in alleys, and on the streets.

What the Numbers Show

The 1,885 vacant units represent over 21% of the total government-funded housing stock in the region.
In Greater Vancouver, 1,694 units are empty or unavailable, while in Greater Victoria, about 191 units are vacant or unavailable.
A large portion of these units are Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) rooms — essential low-barrier housing for those most in need. Shockingly, more than 1 in 3 SRO units aren’t occupied.
Average vacancy across these units is 20.7 months — nearly two years of empty, unused housing.

The Human Impact

The March 2025 Point-In-Time count in Greater Vancouver recorded 1,893 unsheltered people.
In Victoria, 318 people were found unsheltered.
The vacant units alone could house a significant portion of these individuals. Leaving these units empty while people are unhoused is not only inefficient — it’s a human rights concern.

Why Are Units Sitting Empty?

Several systemic issues contribute to this crisis:

Bureaucracy & Red Tape slowing tenant placement.
Poor data tracking — some units are listed as “unavailable” or “pending.”
Under-resourced non-profit operators managing the units.
Strict eligibility requirements excluding people with no ID or unstable income.
Long vacancy cycles, where delays in turnover leave units empty for months.

These are fixable problems, yet thousands of people remain unhoused while these units gather dust.

What Needs to Happen

Immediate Occupancy: Fill the vacant units now, lower barriers, and match outreach teams with available units.
Transparency: Public monthly reporting on occupancy rates and unit availability.
Accountability: Tie leadership and executive compensation to concrete outcomes, such as reduced homelessness and improved occupancy.
System Reform: Reassess policies and processes that prevent units from being used effectively.

A Call for Action

This is not just a statistic — it’s a crisis. Nearly 2,000 homes exist today that could shelter people, yet inaction persists. BC Housing and the provincial government need to confront this reality, not hide behind propaganda campaigns.

People are waiting. People are suffering. Every empty unit is a missed opportunity to save lives and restore dignity.

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