District expands efforts to address Downtown safety concerns
Squamish, BC – The District of Squamish is advancing short- and long-term actions to address community safety in Downtown Squamish. Immediate steps are being taken to improve community safety for downtown residents, those sheltering in encampments, and emergency response providers. Medium- and longer-term actions focus on supportive housing solutions funded by the Province, through BC Housing. This includes enhanced outreach support and coordination of services for people experiencing homelessness through the homeless and encampment response team (HEART), a proposal for temporary housing through the Province’s homeless and encampment response temporary housing program (HEARTH), as well as the permanent supportive housing project on Government Road, currently in the design and development stage.
“Addressing homelessness requires support from all levels of government and we continue to work together with BC Housing and community partners on short and long-term strategies to better support people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Squamish,” said District of Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford. “Advancing short- and long-term actions at the same time will help to address current critical safety concerns for residents within encampments, response teams, and the surrounding neighbourhood as the work on temporary and long-term housing supports continue.”
The District has recently appointed a new Director of Public Safety to bring additional resources and oversight to support this work. The Director of Public Safety provides leadership at both the strategic and operational levels to the Squamish Emergency Program, Community Bylaw Services and Police Services, and is a senior liaison with the RCMP management team.
The District is working with agencies including RCMP, Squamish Fire Rescue, BC Emergency Health Services, BC Housing, Squamish Helping Hands and Squamish Nation, who have been dedicating resources to the encampment response. The District is also actively working with BC Housing to bring additional housing supports to the community to assist with encampments and complex social needs through the HEART & HEARTH programs. As part of HEART, BC Housing outreach, in partnership with local and provincial outreach services, are currently engaging with vulnerable populations to assist in finding suitable accommodation and access to support services.
Bringing people indoors and connecting them with health care services and other supports, greatly helps to stabilize their lives and supports them to a pathway of permanent housing.
Key current Downtown encampment response actions led by the District include:
- Routine patrols by District Bylaw, Squamish Fire Rescue and RCMP of downtown and other areas of concern.
- Regular encampment monitoring by District staff, Bylaw, Squamish Fire Rescue and Squamish RCMP.
- An enhanced community focus for Bylaw staff with specialized training in homelessness response.
- Physical changes to improve encampment conditions and establish safe entry/exit and manage material storage.
- Regular debris removal at the encampment site and removal of potentially hazardous materials.
- Information sharing with area residents and businesses in early September.
For more information and Frequently Asked Questions on this work, HEART & HEARTH programs, and the supportive and transitional housing projects in the community, visit squamish.ca/addressing-homelessness.
August 31, 2026