10,000 Homeless in BC: “Now there is a recognition that something needs to be done.”
More than 10,580 British Columbians are homeless this winter, according to a survey of estimates compiled by the New Democratic Party. And the ranks of the unsheltered are growing fastest not in the province’s largest cities, but in B.C.’s booming exurbs such as Abbotsford and Whistler…
“In Abbotsford, we have what economists would call an ideal economy: High wages. Low unemployment. Affordable living,” said Ron Van Wyc, program director for B.C.’s Mennonite Central Committee. “So for a long time, I think there was a public perception that we didn’t have a homeless problem here.”…
“As a community, I think we’ve moved through the phase of denial,” Van Wyc said. “Now there is a recognition that something needs to be done.”
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