Richmond's unhoused population has doubled since 2020, report finds

A report from the city says residents are feeling squeezed by the high cost of living

When Jaydon Koroscil broke up with his partner, he said he had nowhere left to go.

“I took my guitar and my backpack with my writing, basically a couple shirts, and went and slept under a tree that night and figured out a shelter,” said Koroscil, who has been without a home in Richmond for two years.

It's the kind of story that outreach worker Stephanie Scramstad says she hears all too often.

“A lot of them are, you know, just faced eviction,” said Scramstad, who works with Refuge Church.

A City of Richmond report received by council on July 27 shows homelessness has more than doubled since 2020.

“The number-one issue that came out was affordability," said Coun. Bill McNulty.

Since 2020, the number of unhoused people in the community has risen to 175 from 85.

About 60 per cent of the local unhoused population has been living in Richmond for at least 10 years, according to the report.

Women also make up a larger part of the unhoused population, increasing to 32 per cent from 20 per cent in 2023.

There's also another demographic change.

"We jumped from about 5 to 10 seniors to about, you know, 25 per cent of the people who we talk to on a regular basis and encounter are now seniors,” said Scramstad.

Average rent in Richmond trending down

This is all happening while Richmond's average rent is going down: data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation shows the average purpose-built rental unit was $1,887 in Richmond in 2025. It was $1,901 in 2024.

During the same time period, vacancy rates increased to 3.1 per cent, up from 0.9 per cent.

Some in Richmond, B.C., oppose supportive housing proposal

But a professor from Simon Fraser University says it's still expensive.

“You need to be making quite a bit of money to qualify for those rents,” said Andrey Pavlov, who studies real estate.

He said the province should remove barriers for the private sector to build more housing.

He added that workers' pay hasn't been keeping up.

“Our income per capita has been declining for the last two or three years in Canada,” Pavlov said.

Province points to new housing starts in B.C.

Amid these findings, Richmond council has been turning its attention to the province.

"We've got to hold those [who are] responsible['s] feet to the fire," said McNulty.

Unhoused seniors say search for affordable housing in Metro Vancouver turns up 'nothing, nothing, nothing'

The province said it offers support for vulnerable seniors, and pointed to the number of affordable housing units in Richmond.

“We know there is an urgent need for more affordable housing and supports,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Housing.

“Since 2017, more than 99,000 homes have been delivered or are underway across B.C. In Richmond, 300 affordable homes are open, including 107 homes for seniors, with an additional nearly 200 affordable homes underway that will also be available to seniors.”

The ministry said Richmond has 60 active shelter spaces as of May.

But some say it's not enough, and that the report's message is clear.

"We need more housing, period," said Scramstad.