WEDNESDAY
VALLEY CHAMPS
MAY 14, 2014
Yale and Abby Senior girls rugby teams claim regional titles A15
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Homeless numbers up Abbotsford among Valley communities seeing increase
Jennifer FEINBERG Black Press
The number of homeless people in Abbotsford rose from 117 to 151 between 2011 and 2014. Though homelessness stayed stable in the Fraser Valley, the number of homeless climbed in several communities including Abbotsford, Mission and Boston Bar, while Chilliwack and Hope saw a decrease since the last survey, according to preliminary totals released Tuesday from the 2014 FVRD Homeless Count. The Fraser Valley Regional District count is
a “snapshot” or point-in-time survey, which was conducted by volunteers simultaneously as the Metro Vancouver count in March over a 24-hour period. “What we know, after doing this now for the fourth time in a decade, is that since 2004, homelessness is not just a Metro Vancouver issue; it is indeed an issue here in our communities as well,” said Ron Van Wyk, homeless count research co-ordinator, in a presentation Tuesday to the FVRD Regional and Corporate Services Committee. From 2011 to 2014, the overall total in the
FVRD has remained “fairly flat,” he said, shifting from 345 people to 346 who self-identified as homeless. The latest total is still well below the record high for the region of 465 homeless enumerated in 2008. When asked what would end their plight of homelessness, the answer most often given to volunteers was “affordable housing.” From 2011 to 2014, Mission’s numbers went from 54 to 75 people. Those increases contrast with a decrease seen in Chilliwack. The 2011 count found 111 Continued on A7
CIVIC SALARIES A5 City payroll had 114 people earning more than $100,000 in 2013
DIGNITY VILLAGE A3 Abbotsford group identifies site for proposed homelessness camp
ARSON CHARGES A3 20-year-old Abbotsford man faces multiple counts for series of local fires
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85¢ ALEX BUTLER Abbotsford News
Volunteers, a recycling service and residents of a homeless camp on Gladys Avenue clear out some of the garbage from the site on Saturday. More on page 5.
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