As communities across the Sea to Sky Corridor come together for the Coldest Night of the Year, we’re reminded that homelessness isn’t just a statistic but a lived reality for neighbours in Pemberton, Whistler, and Squamish. Behind the scenes, SSCS’s Homelessness Prevention and Outreach work focuses on meeting people where they’re at, reducing barriers, and supporting housing stability before a situation escalates to a crisis. We sat down with our Homeless Outreach Worker, Rachel, to talk about what she sees, learns, and carries with her through this work.
What does homelessness prevention and outreach actually look like day to day in the Sea to Sky Corridor?
It often looks like meeting people where they are at- inside, outside, in fair weather or downpours, with folks who might be housed in unsafe conditions in buildings that are falling apart, or people who may have lost their job unexpectedly and don’t know how they will afford their rent next month. The day-to-day changes, sometimes the work involves helping someone get waterproof camping gear, a propane heater, warm socks or a gift card for groceries because they haven’t had fresh produce in weeks, or sitting down with someone for a warm coffee and to be a supportive listening ear. Other times, we can plan for the long-term, get names on affordable or subsidized housing waitlists, renew IDs, apply for income assistance, connect folks with mental health resources and counselling, or apply for rental financial support.
My job, in short, is to support folks before or during crises that affect their housing or financial stability and help them access the resources they need to stay housed, fed, and safe.
We try to problem-solve and connect folks with organizations and support locally or regionally to help get them to a place where they can afford their rent a little easier, buy groceries, or necessities to make their living situation more comfortable. The reality of homelessness prevention in the Sea to Sky Corridor is that many people will be personally affected by the skyrocketing rental rates, lack of affordable housing supply, and low-wage, tenuous seasonal or temporary work opportunities, if they haven’t already. Many local people live in precarious or uncertain housing situations and have to maintain a façade of normalcy while they carry about their day-to-day; as parents, as single people, working full-time jobs, sometimes multiple at a time, all while supporting themselves or family members.
You work closely with people who are navigating housing insecurity. What’s something the broader community might be surprised to learn about who is at risk of homelessness here?
Many of the people I help are older single seniors, as their partners may have passed away, their families live far away and/or are struggling financially themselves too much to help support their elderly family members. It’s terrible; even with savings and private pensions, many seniors are struggling to survive and eat and pay their bills. Even those seniors who continue to work and bring in an income have a hard time.
If young, healthy, able-bodied, working people are struggling to afford rent and groceries, imagine how a home-bound 85 year old person with chronic health conditions is doing. It’s very disheartening to see, especially when many of these people are long-time Squamish and Sea to Sky locals who helped build our communities (literally, brick by brick, and socially).
Can you share a moment from your work that has stayed with you — one that reflects resilience, connection, or the impact of timely support?
When the community comes together to support our most vulnerable neighbours, my hope for humanity is always replenished, and it happens more often than people might think. There have been several remarkable community efforts to keep folks housed or find them new, safe, housing over the past year– but I was especially inspired by the efforts of a volunteer group made up of friends, family, members of a local church, and several non-profit community workers who joined together to help an elderly community member relocate from her unstable housing of 20 years into a new, stable home after she was renovicted. So many people volunteered to help her pack and move her belongings, provide emotional support, and cover the cost of meals and movers. It was a tremendous human effort, and so many people came together to support her, including myself, which made the work so much easier and smoother, not to mention the transition easier on the person who had to move.
Whenever I have a difficult day trying to come up with resources or hope, I remember the power of community coming together, and that anything is possible with the right concentrated efforts.
How does the rising cost of living in Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton show up in the conversations you’re having with people seeking support?
The high cost of living in the Sea to Sky shows up in every conversation I have with the people who come to see me, especially among long-time locals, who have been shocked to see how steeply the price of rent and groceries have gone up since the pandemic. Local wages are stagnant and not rising with inflation, the cost of groceries across Canada are expected to increase another 4-6% over the next year, and as the Sea to Sky corridor continues to attract investment and commercial development in the interest of tourism, property values soar, the cost of development increases, and rental rates are booming, even despite rental rates falling in other popular places, such as Vancouver and Victoria.
Whistler continues to be the most expensive place to live in BC, and Squamish is a close second, according to the 2025 Living Wage BC report.
Seniors who planned many years ago to spend their retirement years here are having to relocate because they cannot afford upgrades to their home on top of property taxes and the cost of groceries and utilities. Young people and newcomers to Canada are living with multiple people in a single room in a shared house, even while working full-time, and their security as a renter is untenable if the property could be sold at any minute, or if they lose their job or ability to renew their work permit. It’s all too much all at once, from young people to the elderly.
As we mark the Coldest Night of the Year and the homeless count in Squamish, why are events like this important — both for awareness and for the people you serve?
These events are so important because they remind the community that homelessness and housing insecurity is a common everyday crisis, and one that affects more of our neighbours and community members than we may realize. I think it would benefit the community to know that homelessness and housing insecurity is very likely to affect most people personally or one of their loved ones within their lifetime, sometimes several times over. It should be considered a local community issue, a personal issue, that affects everyone. I would love to see us come together as a community to continue to sponsor and advocate for affordable and subsidized housing here in Squamish – even if that looks like raising awareness among friends and family and appealing to local landlords (who can afford it within their means) to keep their basement suite or laneway home rents affordable, or to rent out an extra room, if it is safe to do so. Raising awareness that homelessness and housing insecurity can happen to anyone is vital in changing the narrative, so please, be kind to anyone you meet who is struggling. We are all human beings, trying our best to survive in this world.
As Rachel’s experiences remind us, housing insecurity is a community issue — and meaningful change happens when neighbours show up for one another. By supporting Sea to Sky Community Services and taking part in the Coldest Night of the Year in Squamish at the end of this month, you can help raise awareness, strengthen local supports, and ensure more people in our community have access to safe, stable housing. We invite you to walk alongside us, volunteer your time, or learn more about how you can make a difference — because together, we can help ensure everyone has a place to call home.