Abbotsford – This was a hot topic in the recent Local Elections.
The City of Abbotsford has completed its annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count, providing a guide for ongoing local response efforts based on the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness in the community on a single night.
The 2026 count identified 521 people experiencing homelessness, a decrease of 133 people compared to the 654 people identified in 2025.
This 20 per cent decrease marks the first decline in Abbotsford’s count in several years and follows significant collaborative efforts with local service providers and BC Housing to connect people experiencing homelessness with housing and support.
“While any number of people experiencing homelessness in our community is still far too many, seeing a reduction in this year’s count is encouraging,” said Mayor Ross Siemens. “We are grateful for the Province’s continued investment through BC Housing, and for the strong collaboration among our government partners and local service providers. These organizations and their frontline staff do tremendous work every day helping people access housing and the support they need. Homelessness is a complex issue, and meaningful progress depends on all of us working together.”
This year’s count was conducted on October 7, 2026, with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) contracted through the City of Abbotsford’s Reaching Home Program. The results included:
• 223 individuals staying in emergency shelters
• 248 individuals who were unsheltered on the night of the count
• 28 individuals with no fixed address who were staying in hospital
• 22 individuals staying in time-limited transitional housing.
Over the past year, the City of Abbotsford worked alongside BC Housing, Provincial ministries and local service providers to support coordinated responses to several large encampments on Provincial lands. These efforts included the closure of encampments at Cole Road, McCallum Road, Peardonville Road and Whatcom Road, with outreach helping many individuals transition from those sites into housing and other available accommodation.
The City of Abbotsford continues to support local housing, prevention and diversion initiatives through the federally funded Reaching Home program, including Raven’s Moon scattered-site supportive housing and Cedar Outreach, while also providing land to BC Housing for two new Provincially funded supportive housing developments that will add more than 100 units over the next two years.
Moving forward, the City of Abbotsford is updating its Homelessness Action Plan to identify immediate actions and longer-term initiatives, as well as opportunities for greater collaboration with Provincial partners, service providers and other community organizations.
