BURNABY, B.C. - A task force says there are more than 70 homeless camps in Metro Vancouver, as it estimates about 4,000 people are in immediate need of housing.
The region's task force says there is a homeless crisis in every corner of Metro Vancouver, where the number of homeless people living outside shelters has jumped 26-per-cent annually since 2011.
The task force calculates five people become homeless across the region every week and a further 60,000 households are vulnerable to homelessness because more than half their income is spent on shelter.
The group, which includes Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, wants all provincial political parties to agree to open 1,000 units of transitional housing across the region this year and a further 1,000 units a year in 2018 and 2019.
It says the number of people who are homeless has increased steadily over the past 15 years.
It says the crisis has been caused by gaps in social services for people with chronic health issues, mental illness or addictions, which have been exacerbated by rising in rents, house prices and the cost of living.
