Homelessness Prevention & Response Plan

We are creating a new plan to understand and address homelessness in Surrey.

In December 2022, Council approved a strategic approach to develop a new Homelessness Prevention and Response Plan.

This plan will replace the 2013 Master Plan for Housing the Homeless in Surrey and will outline community need and housing targets to support individuals who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Surrey.

    Project timeline

    • Completed
    • Started
    • Pending
    Spring - summer 2023

    Background research & data collection

    • Review current policy context
    • Collect quantitative data
    Summer - fall 2023

    Engagement

    • Confirm the City of Surrey’s role as a champion
    • Listen and learn from equity-deserving groups and people with lived and living experience of homelessness
    • Engage with local groups including: homelessness services providers; affordable housing sector; business sector; provincial and federal funding partners and ministries; Fraser Health Authority; Indigenous organizations; and other key informants
    Fall 2023

    Developing & refining the plan

    • Develop a coordinated prevention and response strategy
    • Establish partnerships with senior government and secure agreements
    Early 2024

    Finalizing the plan

    • Propose an implementation and management framework
    • Present to Council

    Contact

    Christa Brown, Housing Planner

    Housing & Social Development Department

    Email: socialplanning@surrey.ca

    Key documents

    Connected strategies

    Homelessness in Surrey

    In 2020, the Metro Vancouver homeless count identified 644 individuals who were homeless in Surrey. Of these, 471 were sheltered and 173 were living on the streets. Due to the limitations of counting the Surrey homeless population, it is widely accepted as an undercount.

    In March 2023, Homelessness Services Association of BC conducted another Point-In-Time homeless count across Metro Vancouver and the results will be made available in Fall 2023.

    The City of Surrey will continue to work collaboratively with BC Housing and Fraser Health, and the community agencies that serve people that are experiencing homelessness, in order to address homelessness and the related issues of mental health and addictions.

      Surrey Homelessness & Housing Fund

      In June 2007, Surrey City Council approved the creation of the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Fund; $9 million from the City’s Affordable Housing Reserves was used to establish the fund. The fund is used to support Surrey-made solutions to homelessness and affordable housing issues in Surrey.

      Get involved