‘It’s not fair’: Chilliwack mayor says city has most shelter spaces per capita, province says that’s not true

A battle over how best to address homelessness is brewing in the Fraser Valley, with the City of Chilliwack and the provincial government at odds.

Chilliwack’s mayor says his city is taking on an outsized responsibility when it comes to shelter beds, but the housing minister says the claim underpinning the argument is false.

Mayor Ken Popove circulated a memo late last month saying data from municipal staff showed the eastern Fraser Valley city had the highest per-capita rate of shelter beds on the Lower Mainland, exceeding the rate in both the main urban centre of Vancouver and B.C.’s fastest-growing city in Surrey.

“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done,” Popove told CTV News.

“But at the end of the day, we can’t accept any more. It’s not fair and equitable for the City of Chilliwack.”

With 250 shelter spaces, there are 2.7 beds per 1,000 residents, according to Popove.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon did his own math, finding the same number of beds and the same per capita rate – but reached a different conclusion when comparing it to other cities. The top spot went to Hope with 8.4 beds, followed by Vancouver with 2.8.

Kahlon also said the city has rejected additional housing support to address a rising homeless population – pointing to the 2023 count that found the number of homeless people in Chilliwack increased from 306 in 2020 to 413 in 2023.

“This increase of 107 people, or 35 per cent, is the highest rate of increase per sub-community in the region,” a statement from Kahlon said.

On Jan. 29, the City of Chilliwack published a news release calling for an “equitable” approach to shelter beds in the region, citing the per-capita rate before saying the mayor and council are “concerned that people are migrating to places like Vancouver and Chilliwack because there are a greater number of beds.”

A city’s per-capita rate doesn’t reflect the overall number of beds. Surrey, for example, has more than twice the number of beds that Chilliwack does.

The Ministry of Housing said claims that people travel to other communities to access homeless shelters aren’t supported by the data, with the 2023 homeless count finding roughly 85 per cent of respondents had lived in their current community for more than a year and the majority had lived in their community for more than six years.

Popove said people are travelling to Chilliwack, and he believes it is because in some cases, they are being sent there from other jurisdictions.

“We have already learned of several instances where hospitals in the Fraser Health and (Vancouver) Coastal Health regions have discharged individuals with complex care needs and sent them via taxi to shelters in Chilliwack, despite being told there are no beds available,” Popove said.

“Chilliwack shelters are full, and we are focused on taking care of the vulnerable members of our community. We can’t continue to serve as a destination for people needing shelter space, especially when we know people have the best support in their home communities.”

Kahlon disputed these claims of people being “shipped” to Chilliwack in the interview with CTV News.

Popove said he is open to having a conversation with the ministry, but that additional housing for people who are homeless is not on the table until other communities keep pace with Chilliwack on shelter space.