Image: City of Chilliwack / Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Homeless count

Over 700 people in Chilliwack without a home in latest count: Mayor Popove

May 8, 2025 | 11:46 AM

CHILLIWACK — Over 700 people in Chilliwack have been counted as unhoused or living rough on the streets in the latest Point-in-Time survey, according to comments made by Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove Thursday morning.

Even more shocking, Popove says, is the number of unhoused people who have lived in Chilliwack for less than a year, as if to indicate people keep moving to Chilliwack when there isn’t much room in the inn.

“The Point-in-Time numbers just came out,” Mayor Popove told 89.5 JR Country Morning host Glen Slingerland. “Three years ago, it was just over 400. It’s in a 24-hour or 48-hour time frame when folks go out and survey and count folks that are living rough, living in transitional houses, couch surfing, etc. The number came in at 715 in Chilliwack.”

That number includes people living in the Chilliwack River Valley as well.

“That 715 number is probably 20 per cent low because you can’t get to everybody,” Popove said.

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What Popove found to be just as concerning is the number of people who have lived in Chilliwack for less than a year.

“There was a question, how long have you been in Chilliwack, between six months and a year,” Popove said. “Seventeen per cent answered yes to that question. That’s about 120 people. That’s not surprising. We’ve seen a huge increase of folks that are on the streets, living rough, coming through the wellness centre (on Trethewey Avenue).”

Like he has before, Popove attributed Chilliwack’s lack of supportive housing to an abysmal failure by the provincial government and the NDP Minister of Housing.

“I point the finger at the Minister of Housing, Ravi Kahlon, that more of these supportive housing units need to be spread out throughout the valley and towards Vancouver,” Popove said.” “I’ve talked about that before. It’s not fair, it’s not equitable how it’s been done. People are getting dropped off here. People are tired, and they’re exhausted to have to deal with this kind of stuff.”

When asked by Slingerland for an estimate on the number of homeless people that are actually from Chilliwack, Popove estimated between 30 and 35 per cent.

The City of Chilliwack budgets about $5 million annually to address some of the community impacts associated with homelessness, including bylaw staff, garbage pickup and policing costs.

“If we didn’t [budget $5 million], we’d look like the Downtown Eastside,” Popove said. “I won’t let that happen.”