BC Housing is working with partners to provide people living outdoors and in encampments with better access to a range of support services, new shelters, and housing options through new programs funded by the Province under the Belonging in BC Homelessness Plan:
- Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) - These teams will include municipal staff (eg. bylaw or engineering), Indigenous service providers, First Nations, healthcare providers, and non-profit organizations.
- Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) - cities will bring forward available land and expedite rezoning and permitting approvals for new shelter and supportive housing projects.
The Ministry of Housing’s priority community selection is based on a variety of factors, including the existence of a complex encampment or encampment areas. In order to implement the program, the Province entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with municipalities.
In 2023, funding was approved to establish five regional teams for HEART and HEARTH in regions throughout BC. To date, the Ministry of Housing has signed HEART & HEARTH MOUs with the cities of Prince George, Kelowna, Abbotsford, Nanaimo and Victoria.
See: Tent city and encampment legislation and Legality of park encampments.
This information is current to the date of review and the information may have changed as the situation is evolving.