Homelessness is an increasingly visible reality in many B.C. communities.

The latest snapshot reveals that the unhoused population continues to rise in more than half of the communities surveyed.

According to B.C. Housing’s 2025 homeless count, homelessness is up in 12 of 20 municipalities where the numbers were tallied on a single day in April.

Penticton was among the cities that saw an increase.

“We have an issue in Penticton, but it’s the same issue that we’re seeing across B.C.,” Penticton coun. Julius Bloomfield told Global News.

Between 2023 and 2025, Penticton saw a 17 per cent rise in its homelessness numbers.

That number jumps to 80 per cent between 2018 and 2025.

The two other communities surveyed in the region included Vernon, where the city saw a decrease of 30 per cen

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