Surrey lacks plan to house most vulnerable, experts warn

Once considered a remote suburb, Surrey is on track to overtake Vancouver as British Columbia's most populous city. 

But as the city south of the Fraser River grows, so too does the challenge of adequately housing its residents, including homeless and urban Indigenous populations. 

"Indigenous peoples are choosing to live in Surrey at rates far beyond any other municipality in B.C. and yet the amount of investment into their affordable housing needs is almost nonexistent," said Ginger Gosnell-Myers, a fellow at Simon Fraser University who works on urban Indigenous planning and policy.

"This is a recipe for disaster."

While the city has seen plenty of new housing built in recent years, it doesn't necessarily address Surrey's critical need for affordable and subsidized housing. 

"Surrey is like many other municipalities in metropolitan Vancouver facing severe challenges when it comes to housing its particular populations," said Andy Yan, a professor in urban planning and the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University. 

A Surrey housing report — which was recently re-released after council sent it back to staff for being "too negative" — highlights the need for more affordable housing.

Biggest urban Indigenous population in B.C.

Surrey is home to more than 16,000 Indigenous people, making it the biggest urban Indigenous population in the province. 

According to the report, the city has an immediate need for at least 15,000 below-market or subsidized units, 1,880 of which are needed to address the unique housing needs to Indigenous households.

In the three years leading up to 2022, 72 units were built by Kekinow Native Housing with funding from B.C. Housing.

The report notes that 37 per cent of Indigenous children in Surrey live in poverty compared to 19 per cent of all Surrey families with children. Additionally, the median household income for Indigenous households in Surrey hovers around $68,000, which is about $10,000 less than the city's overall median income.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum told CBC in an interview the low number of units delivered for Indigenous people since 2018 doesn't represent the true picture because of the way Surrey counts its overall population.

"We include [the urban Indigenous population] in the figures that we're doing with the homeless and so forth and that seems to work," said McCallum.

Gosnell-Myers said Surrey's lack of criteria for the Indigenous population is disappointing, and that misinformation can lead to stereotypes. 

"Frankly, it's patronizing and it's reflective of this old colonial mentality that many of us have been fighting against for decades," said Gosnell-Myers.

Nearly 20 per cent of people who are unhoused in Metro Vancouver live in Surrey. The city, however, has only eight per cent of the region's shelters, the report notes. 

The report says the municipality immediately requires nearly 3,000 units to house those who are currently homeless. Between 2018 and 2021, the city added 487 shelter beds or units for those experiencing homelessness while 201 were closed, for a net increase of 286.

According to the statistics provided by the city, a total of 403 shelter spaces or units are expected to be built in 2022 but it's unclear how many of the 403 units have already been built and are in operation.

Report points to lack of community support 

The report places a large part of the blame for the lack of affordable housing on the absence of community support, yet a recent petition gathered nearly 6,000 signatures in favour of a new affordable housing development, while only 400 people signed in opposition.

Despite the overwhelming public support for the planned six-storey development in South Surrey, it was ultimately vetoed last July when McCallum and councillors Mandeep Nagra, Laurie Guerra, Allison Patton and Doug Elford voted against it.

In response to the housing report, McCallum said the city has been making changes, including expediting the building permit process so developers can begin construction within 10 weeks. Previously, there was no guaranteed timeline for the approval of building permits.

McCallum said this move will help builders and developers create more housing units quickly, encouraging them to build more affordable housing. 

"What we're saying to our development industry is that we have to build affordable housing," said McCallum.

According to the city's website however, the expedited permit process is for single family homes and tenant improvement projects.

The updated report does not offer concrete solutions, but instead highlights the city's achievements in 2021, and discusses the possibility of building more affordable housing along the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain corridor. 

CBC British Columbia has launched a Surrey bureau to help tell your stories with reporter Kiran Singh. Story ideas and tips can be sent to kiran.singh@cbc.ca.