BC Housing Registry | Metro Vancouver

BC Housing collects data on households that have applied for social housing through the BC Housing Registry, a central database used by participating non-profit housing providers. The registry records applicant households by the location of their current residence and specific household characteristics. Some non-profit housing providers do not participate in the BC Housing Registry and maintain their own waitlists for social housing applicants.

Eligibility for the BC Housing Registry

Applicant eligibility is determined by household type and requirements, income and assets, and other criteria.

Household types are defined as:

Family: A minimum of two people, including one dependent child
Senior: People aged 55 and older
Persons with disabilities: People who can live independently and qualify for a disability pension or are unable to work because of a disability and are under the age of 55.
Single: A single person or couple under the age of 55, who does not meet the definition of people with disabilities
Wheelchair modified unit: At least one applicant requires a wheelchair-modified unit

Households on the BC Housing Registry by household type

Distribution of households on the BC Housing Registry by household type in 2024

Housing need and regional population growth

The demand for social housing has grown much faster than the region’s population growth, highlighting an unmet housing need. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of households on the BC Housing Registry increased by 64.7%.

According to the 2021 Census, the total number of households in the region grew by only 8.6% between 2016 and 2021, with an even larger gap in some communities. For example, Delta and Langley (the City of Langley and Township of Langley) saw their registry numbers grow 10 to 18 times faster than their total household growth. While these areas had relatively few households on the registry in 2024, their rapid increase underscores the rising demand for social housing.

Growth of the BC Housing Registry and total households

Regional distribution of the BC Housing Registry and total households in Metro Vancouver

Key observations

In March 2024, there were 21,502 households on the BC Housing Registry in Metro Vancouver. This represented a 14% increase (+2,637 households) from the previous year, and a 66% increase (+8,563 households) since 2020.
In Metro Vancouver, family and senior households continue to represent the largest groups on the BC Housing Registry in 2024, at 37% and 36%, respectively.
Family households observed the greatest increase since the previous year (Sept. 2023), with an additional 1,107 households (+16.4%).
Over the previous five years (2020 – 2024), single-person households (including couples) were the fastest-growing group on the registry, increasing by 145% (+1,593 households).
In 2024, two of the three most populous cities in the region, Surrey and Burnaby, had higher shares of the region’s BC Housing Registry than their shares of the region’s total households (as per 2021 Census).

Households on BC Housing Registry by household type

Notes

The glossary provides definitions of each technical term, ensuring consistent interpretation.
Jurisdiction and Metro Vancouver totals may not equal the sum of individual values due to rounding, data suppression, or the omission of smaller data points to maintain visual readability. If a geography is not listed or appears missing, the associated data was either unavailable or did not meet reporting thresholds.
BC Housing’s annual data was collected on June 2014, June 2015, June 2016, June 2017, July 2018, July 2019, June 2020, June 2021, June 2022, September 2023, and March 2024.
Rent supplements, transfers, and pending applications are not included in totals.
The geographic areas are as reported by BC Housing. The Township of Langley and City of Langley are combined, as well as the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver. However, Aldergrove (in the Township of Langley) is reported separately.
Anmore, Bowen Island, Lions Bay and Tsawwassen First Nation are not included. Starting in 2022, values less than 10 are suppressed for privacy.

Source
This information is from BC Housing and Statistics Canada census data .

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