The B.C. government published this photograph in May 2026 in connection with housing and shelter openings in Vancouver. File photo.
Photo credit: Province of British Columbia
VICTORIA — The B.C. government says 6,588 shelter spaces were available across 63 communities as of Nov. 1, a figure that includes year-round beds, seasonal winter shelters and spaces activated only during extreme weather.
In a Nov. 10 update, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs listed 4,270 permanent shelter spaces, 291 temporary year-round spaces and 534 spaces under the Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) program. The count also includes 793 temporary winter shelter spaces and 700 extreme-weather response spaces.
Temporary winter shelters are scheduled to operate between Oct. 1, 2026, and March 31, 2027, depending on local needs and operations. Extreme-weather response locations open overnight when communities issue alerts for conditions such as cold, snow or heavy rain. The province-wide total therefore does not indicate how many beds are open or vacant on a given night.
Among the larger communities detailed in the update, Kamloops had 326 reported spaces and Kelowna had 323. The release did not provide a separate Boundary-area count.
BC Housing says shelter information is updated as spaces open and advises people seeking a bed to contact their local shelter to confirm availability.
The B.C. government says 6,588 shelter spaces were available across 63 communities as of Nov. 1, a figure that includes year-round beds, seasonal winter shelters and spaces activated only during extreme weather.