During the 1990's homelessness emerged as a major issue in communities across Canada. In Metro Vancouver, homelessness continues to be a complex and growing problem. The 2005 Homeless Count for Greater Vancouver showed that homelessness in the region doubled between 2002 and 2005.

The Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness (RSCH) formed and now includes over 40 members representing service providers, community-based organizations, business and all levels of government. The RSCH developed and oversees the implementation of the Regional Homelessness Plan for Greater Vancouver, titled Three Ways to Home to reflect the three components of a comprehensive solution to homelessness: affordable housing, support services, and adequate income. From 2000 to 2006, a significant part of implementing this plan involved working with the Government of Canada to deliver the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) in the region. This partnership resulted in $50 million in federal funding for projects that address homelessness in Greater Vancouver.

In 2007, the federal government announced a new funding program, the Homelessness Partnering Strategy. This new program provided $16 million in funding to the Metro Vancouver region for a two year period from April 01, 2007 to March 31, 2009. During the summer of 2007, the RSCH conducted a Call for Proposals to allocate this funding. These projects address our current priorities of youth and Aboriginal services, supportive housing, mental health and addictions, emergency services and facilities, outreach, prevention, and improvements to existing service delivery. For further information on the RSCH, please refer to the documents below.