
“Scapegoating: the act of blaming a person or group for something bad that has happened or that someone else has done. Example: the scapegoating of immigrants for the country’s economic problems.” – Cambridge Dictionary
While it is easy to blame the unhoused population for their predicament, all of the recent ‘Point In Time’ (PIT) suggest they are indications of a much larger problem.
Related stories:
- Solving Campbell River’s homeless crisis
- Campbell River to remove tax exemptions from Art Gallery and Mental Health
- Campbell River rescinds most Permissive Tax Exemption cuts
I do not remember seeing any homeless people in Campbell River during the years that I lived there. This was a something more common in larger centres like Vancouver or Victoria. Now they are found in every community and even remote islands like Cortes and Quadra.
One of the most valuable aspects of the recent PIT counts was people were asked why they were homeless. The #1 response in Campbell River, the Comox Valley, Parksville/Qualicum, Powell River, Port Alberni and Sechelt/Gibsons was insufficient Income. None of these PIT Counts identified a greater cause.

If you believe the oft-touted 30% rule, the surpising thing is that these numbers are not larger. According to the 2021 census, 3,450 Campbell River residents spend more than 30% of their income on housing. The PIT count only found 197 homeless people.

The disturbing thing is close to a third of them have been unhoused for less than a year. Prior to that, they were presumably either renting or owned homes.
While the numbers vary, this essential pattern is repeated in every one of the communities named above.
What could have caused so many people to lose their homes?




In September the BC Government reported that during the past year the cost of renting a house had risen 6.1% and the overall cosumer price index was 3.3% higher.
This slight raise may have been too much for families already teetering on the brink.

The vast majority of unhoused people have an income, the most common sources being income assistance and disability, but some have full or part time jobs. More than 30 extreme examples of the ‘working poor’ are found in Campbell River. Similar reports came from the other communities and almost a quarter of the homeless people in the Sechelt and Gibsons area are employed.

The situation is different on Cortes, where 46 of the 110 respondents to last year’s survey ‘couch surfed’ or found some other temporary shelter at some point during the year and 11 lived outside. Many are ‘seasonally homeless,’ leaving their rental accomodations every year to make way for tourists and owners returning to their summer homes. 75% of Cortes Island’s ‘at risk’ population are also working.
The 2021 census found that close to half of the renters and 15% of the homeowners on Cortes Island are paying more for shelter than they can afford.

The numbers are better on Quadra Island and Area C, where there is also a problem with seasonal homelessness.
The situation appears to be more desperate in urban centres. Depending on how you tally the answers, the second biggest cause of homelessness in most urban centres may be ‘substance abuse.’ However in Campbell River, this is surpassed by the number of people citing problems with either their landlords or spouses.

Sue Moen, who worked with the unhoused sector when she was with the Salvation Army, once told Cortes Currents that some are women fleeing abusive relationships. She also said most of the addicts she encountered did not have an addiction before they lost their homes.

Another disturbing finding, for those who like to portray the unhoused population as recent arrivals seeking handouts, is that two thirds of them have been living in the urban communities mentioned for 5 years or more. Many of them were born there.
One would think their city councils would feel a responsibility for them, rather than treat them as an eyesore to be removed from sight.

The homeless problem is very complex, but it will most likely also be with us until we solve the housing crisis and everyone has a liveable wage.
Top image credit: PIT count respondents say the #1 cause of homelessness is lack of money – Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Sign-up for Cortes Currents email-out:
To receive an emailed catalogue of articles on Cortes Currents, send a (blank) email to subscribe to your desired frequency:
- Daily, (articles posted during the last 24 hours) – cortescurrents-daily+subscribe@cortes.groups.io
- Weekly Digest cortescurrents – cortescurrents-weekly+subscribe@cortes.groups.io
Great article, Roy!