not a lost cause — yet!

 not a lost cause — yet!

I have been talking about mobile outreach units because something important is happening in Victoria — people are taking services to the streets and meeting people where they are.

And Vancouver has outreach teams doing this too.

There is some fabulous work already happening. ❤️

Now we need to ask:

WHY AREN’T WE DOING MORE OF IT?

We are heading into the cold, wet season. People who are sleeping outside are exposed to rain, cold, poor sleeping conditions and all the health problems that can come with them.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.

Look at the numbers:

🇨🇦 CANADA

The latest 2025 national Point-in-Time enumeration identified more than 65,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 75 Canadian communities.

Of those, 17,620 people were in unsheltered locations — outdoors rather than in shelters or transitional housing.

And the national count found homelessness was still 59% higher than in 2020–2022.

🇨🇦 BRITISH COLUMBIA

B.C. conducted its latest community homeless counts in 2025, with 20 communities counted by the province, alongside federally funded and independent counts. BC Housing says the full 2024–25 report brings these together to provide a broader provincial picture.

🇨🇦 METRO VANCOUVER

The 2025 count identified 5,200 people experiencing homelessness across Metro Vancouver, an increase of 9% from 2023.

Within the City of Vancouver, 2,715 people were identified — 763 unsheltered and 1,952 sheltered.

🇨🇦 GREATER VICTORIA

The 2025 Point-in-Time count identified 1,749 people experiencing homelessness, compared with 1,665 in 2023.

These are snapshots, not everyone who experiences homelessness over an entire year. They can miss people who are hidden, moving around, staying temporarily with others or simply not encountered during the count.

And behind every number is a person.

Some people have been failed by housing systems.

Some have health or substance-use challenges.

Some have lost employment, family support or stability.

Some may have simply reached the point where they no longer believe the system can help them.

That does NOT mean they are a lost cause.

It means we need to find them.

We need people going out into communities — not waiting for everyone to walk through the right door, fill out the right form and navigate the right bureaucracy.

Bring the help to them.

Bring housing workers.

Bring health professionals.

Bring outreach workers.

Bring food and warm clothing.

Bring identification assistance.

Bring connections to shelters and supportive housing.

And, where appropriate, bring mental-health and addictions support.

Put multiple services together in mobile units and go where people actually are.

Victoria is already showing us pieces of this model.

Vancouver is already doing street outreach.

So let's build on what is working.

NOT A LOST CAUSE — YET.

The weather is changing.

People are outside.

Let's get the help moving before winter gets harder.

Absolutely — I’d make them firm but genuinely reflective, so they invite accountability rather than simply telling readers what to think.

10 reflective questions for Mark Carney

1. If homelessness is increasing, what will you do differently now that previous approaches clearly aren't enough?

2. How quickly can federal funding actually translate into a safe place for someone sleeping outside tonight?

3. What would you say to someone who has lost faith that government will ever help them find a home?

4. Why shouldn't mobile outreach become a much larger part of Canada's homelessness response?

5. Can Canada build enough affordable and supportive housing fast enough to keep up with the people falling into homelessness?

6. How will your government measure success — money announced, housing built, or people actually housed?

7. What happens to people who cannot navigate Canada's existing systems, forms and waiting lists?

8. If winter is predictable every year, why are we still scrambling to respond when the cold arrives?

9. What would you personally want to see happen for a person sleeping outside tonight?

10. When Canadians look back five years from now, what will you have done to make sure fewer people are living on the streets?

homelessness • housing crisis • affordable housing • street outreach • mobile outreach • supportive housing • poverty • winter • mental health • Canada

#NotALostCauseYet #Homelessness #Housing #StreetOutreach #MobileOutreach #Vancouver #Victoria #BritishColumbia #Canada #TimeIsOfTheEssence