December 8, 2025 - An Open Letter from the BC Coalition for Safe and Sustainable Supportive Housing

Across British Columbia, communities have worked hard-often against immense pressures-to expand housing options, strengthen supportive services, and respond with compassion and pragmatism to the needs of their most vulnerable residents. But a damaging myth also continues to circulate: that housing and shelter are the problem, rather than the solution, to homelessness and the street disorder so many communities are struggling with.

As we enter a season traditionally associated with reflection, generosity, and compassion for our neighbours, we are seeing the opposite take hold: temporary and transitional housing sites under threat of closure, and proposals for emergency resources-such as winter shelters-being rejected. Not because need has diminished. Not because permanent housing is available. But because of the mistaken belief that shutting down supportive housing will somehow solve the visible impacts of poverty, illness and the toxic drug crisis.

This pattern is emerging in communities that have long shown leadership in addressing these issues:

  • Victoria, a community that has consistently stepped up to create supportive and affordable housing - now faces the loss of a proven transitional site, "Tiny Town" (aka Caledonia Place).
  • Nanaimo, long committed to collaborative approaches, is again confronting the possible closure of Nikao Housing, where many of the community's most vulnerable residents have stabilized and begun to thrive.
  • Vancouver, a national leader in harm reduction, treatment, and non-profit housing partnerships, is seeing temporary supportive capacity threatened by freeze-outs and planned closures on Granville Street, despite clear evidence that these sites save lives and reduce harm.
  • Sidney, where it remains unclear whether the community will have an Emergency Weather Shelter this year, may leave people outside in the cold with nowhere safe to go this December.
  • The qathet region, which has had no shelter since March, is still without a secured location for an Emergency Weather Shelter.

The false belief driving these decisions-that shutting down temporary housing or blocking emergency shelters will reduce public disorder-is not supported by evidence. In reality, supportive housing reduces street-level impacts, stabilizes people who would otherwise be living outside, and provides consistent staffing, routines, and supports that make neighbourhoods safer. The opposite is also true: constant threats of closure destabilize residents and push people back into survival mode. For residents inside supportive housing, these threats are profoundly destabilizing. People cannot heal while wondering each day if they will lose their home. They cannot build routines, reconnect with family, engage in treatment, or prepare for employment while living with the fear that their housing will disappear. And for those still unhoused, rejecting transitional and emergency options removes something as vital as a roof: it removes hope.

As a Coalition, we fully agree that permanent, dignified, purpose-built housing is the long-term solution to homelessness in British Columbia. And temporary and emergency options must be connected to a clear pathway into permanent housing, not shut down just as people begin to stabilize. To address these intersecting issues, we are calling on the Province of British Columbia and municipalities to act decisively:

  • No temporary or transitional site should close without an equivalent or greater number of permanent homes available.
  • Municipalities must support the creation of supportive housing and, in the meantime, must not reject lifesaving emergency shelters.
  • Emergency winter shelters should be recognized as essential public safety infrastructure, not optional add-ons.
  • A province-wide transition strategy must ensure that temporary housing leads to permanent homes-not homelessness.

British Columbia now has an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to safety, stability, and dignity for all residents. Supportive housing works. It reduces street disorder, strengthens community well-being, and helps people rebuild their lives. Work is underway provincially through a multi-sector engagement approach, to continue improving the context in which these services are delivered.

In this season of compassion, we are reminded that communities are strongest when no one is left outside. People deserve warmth, safety, and the chance to stabilize. And communities deserve solutions that keep everyone healthier and safer.

Let's protect the housing and shelter infrastructure that saves lives today-and build the permanent housing we all know is needed for tomorrow.

About The BC Coalition of Safe and Supportive Housing (SaSSH)
SaSSH is a coalition of 23 housing operators collectively managing over 10,000 units of low-barrier housing throughout BC. The Coalition was formed in 2024 to promote a unified approach to meet the needs of BC's most vulnerable communities, while prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of the people who use our services, the people who carry out this work and the broader community.

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