A one-day snapshot of homelessness in Nanaimo has revealed an increasing number of people living rough, as well as more people in precarious housing situations. (Image Credit: File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

snapshot

‘Hidden homelessness’ a concern in count of those living on Nanaimo streets

Mar 20, 2026 | 3:54 PM

NANAIMO — It’s being described as the bare minimum representation, but a recent count of those unhoused in the city is shedding new light on the scope of the challenges they face.

A joint effort by Snuneymuxw First Nation, Nanaimo Family Life Association, Island Crisis Care Society and the City of Nanaimo saw enumeration teams conduct a point-in-time (PIT) count in early December, in a bid to see how many people were living on the street at the time.

NFLA executive director Deborah Hollins said 577 people were identified as not having stable housing on the night in question.

“It’s not a full census. What it tells us is who was visible and who was reachable in a single period of time, and so this means the total should always be understood as a conservative minimum. Weather conditions, service access, training differences, all those kinds of things between the enumeration teams, and changes in where people stay overnight can all affect who is counted.”

Teams canvassed 185 locations over a 24-hour period and had over 500 screening interactions with people in the community.

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Visible encampments, those found living in their vehicles, shelter counts, and surveys were all used to arrive at the final number.

Hollins stressed the actual number of people living rough in the community is certainly much higher, with a similar survey in 2023 finding 515 people.

What was evident this time around, Hollins said, was the number of people she described as the “hidden homelessness,” who may have a roof over their heads, but its security and longevity are very uncertain.

“Some housing situations, such as RV living or informal arrangements on private land, can appear stable on paper while being very precarious. It does not really capture the precarious living situations that people are in that can end any day, any minute.”

Youth are especially difficult to detect through traditional means, Hollins said, with the survey identifying 54 such individuals.

It can be a struggle for the demographic to access shelter spaces, while older adults are experiencing similar challenges for a different reason.

“We tend to think of all of our homeless people as being one kind of demographic, but that’s not true. There are a growing number of seniors and youth who are not street entrenched, who are not drug addicted, and are not suffering from mental health issues that are needing a home, and it is difficult to capture them in this kind of count.”

The data point will be used by local organizations to refine their planning and service delivery, according to Hollins, to better understand where people are staying and how to reach out to them.

She also highlighted the need to foster culturally grounded services for Indigenous individuals, who are frequently overrepresented among those living on the street.

A more comprehensive PIT count happens every two years in Nanaimo, with the next due later this year.

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