Poverty Prevention and Reduction – Community Social Planning Council

CSPC 2025 Impact Report

The 2024–2025 CSPC Impact Report highlights a year of meaningful progress toward building a more equitable and inclusive Greater Victoria. Through a blend of community-based research, hands-on services, and cross-sector collaboration, the Community Social Planning Council continued its 90-year legacy of addressing poverty, housing instability, climate vulnerability, and social inequality. This year’s work reflects CSPC’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with impactful initiatives spanning housing affordability, income equity, climate resilience, community engagement, and policy innovation.

Across the region, CSPC’s programs provided thousands of residents with critical supports, from sustaining homes through the Greater Victoria Rent Bank, to helping nearly 1,500 people secure essential identification, to distributing over 80,000 transit tickets and passes through LITA. Programs like LEAP expanded employment readiness for underserved communities, while major research projects shaped policy discussions on homelessness, childcare, tenant protections, and regional planning. CSPC continues to fulfil a vital role as both a service provider and a catalyst for systems-level change.

Report

You need ID to get ID

Access to personal identification is often taken for granted yet for many people, it represents one of the most significant barriers to health, housing, and social inclusion. You Need ID to Get ID: The Importance of Access to Identification as a Social Determinant of Health reveals how lacking basic identification creates a cascade of challenges that limit access to essential services and deepen existing inequities. Drawing on community-based research and the lived experiences of both individuals in need of ID and the social service workers who support them, this report exposes the systemic and administrative barriers that make obtaining ID an almost impossible task for many.

The findings illustrate that identification is far more than a bureaucratic requirement, it is a gateway to health and well-being. Without it, people are excluded from critical services like banking, housing, medication, and income assistance. This report by the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria (CSPC) and its program, Greater Victoria Coordinated ID Services (GVCIS), highlights how equitable, trauma-informed, and person-centred ID services can transform lives. Recognizing access to ID as a Social Determinant of Health is a crucial step toward building inclusive systems that ensure every individual can fully participate in society.

Report

2025 Greater Victoria Point in Time Homelessness Count and Survey

On March 25th, 2025, at least 1,749 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in Greater Victoria. The 2025 Point-in-Time Count and Homelessness Needs Survey, carried out by over 130 volunteers and local partners, provides both a snapshot of homelessness in the region and detailed insights into the lives, challenges, and service needs of individuals without stable housing. The survey highlights the barriers people face; including high rent, low income, health challenges, and systemic inequities and emphasizes the urgency of accessible, affordable, and inclusive housing solutions.

This year’s report also sheds light on groups disproportionately affected, including youth, Indigenous peoples, and those with disabilities, while noting troubling increases in safety concerns with shelters and substance use challenges. By amplifying lived experiences, the findings inform decision-makers, service providers, and the broader community in shaping more responsive programs and policies aimed at reducing and ultimately ending homelessness in Greater Victoria.

Report

Appendix

BC Rent Bank Impact Report 2025

Since its launch, the B.C. Rent Bank has played a critical role in helping individuals and families avoid eviction during financial crises by providing short-term, interest-free loans to cover rent. The 2025 Impact Report offers a compelling snapshot of how this program has performed in the past year. Through a combination of quantitative data and human stories, the report examines who is accessing support, how swiftly funds are disbursed, and the degree to which these interventions are preventing homelessness.

Key findings include detailed trends in applications, approval and repayment rates, regional usage patterns, and demographic insights. It explores what the data means for future policy, offering recommendations to strengthen the program’s equity, efficiency, and sustainability.

Dive into the report for more information.

Report

The Drivers of Eviction – Understanding What is Contributing to Housing Loss for Renters in B.C

The cost of rental housing has become unaffordable for a growing number of renters in British Columbia. Rent Banks have existed in BC since around 2010. In 2019, the province established B.C. Rent Bank to help prevent eviction for renter households with low-moderate incomes at imminent risk of losing their housing due to a temporary financial hardship through the provision of financial support.

The Greater Victoria Rent Bank (GVRB) was established by the Community Social Planning Council (CSPC) in 2021 and supports communities across Greater Victoria with grants, rent supplements, and microloans. Since its inception, GVRB has distributed $852,409 in loan capital, preventing housing loss for over 500 Greater Victoria households.

In April 2024, the GVRB began collecting data to learn more about the factors contributing to or 'driving' displacement from rental housing and the resulting need for rent bank services. This data complements the information already collected by BC Rent Bank through their Client Management System (CMS). This report summarizes the key findings from this data tracked across fiscal year 2024/2025 and puts forward four recommendations to mitigate the negative effects on renter households.

Dive into the report for more information.

Report

Greater Victoria Living Wage Report 2024

The Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria (CSPC), in partnership with United Way Southern Vancouver Island, BC Living Wage, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, has released the 2024 Living Wage for Greater Victoria. This figure represents the hourly wage required for two working parents with two young children to meet their basic expenses, including housing, food, transportation, and healthcare. It is calculated after accounting for government taxes, credits, deductions, and subsidies, based on a 35-hour work week.

In 2024, the Living Wage for Greater Victoria has risen to $26.78 per hour, marking a 5.4% increase from 2023, or an additional $1.38 per hour. Since 2022, the wage has increased by 10.3% ($2.49), driven largely by the rising costs of housing, food, and other essential living expenses.

Dive into the report for more information.

Report

Local Government Levers for Housing Affordability

As we navigate in an era marked by a nation-wide housing crisis, all levels of government are under pressure to address the challenge, although local governments are on the front lines. Municipalities also hold a pivotal role in orchestrating the changes needed to address the affordability challenges facing Canadian cities. This toolkit outlines the many levers within municipal control that can significantly influence housing supply and affordability.

This toolkit is intended to help local governments across Canada, big and small, to understand and utilize all of the tools available to improve housing affordability by:

• providing an overview of tools and their municipal context;
• identifying success factors and key considerations for each of the tools; and
• sharing case studies and best practices that highlight successes in implementing the tools in a range of municipal contexts and for a diversity of housing types.

The optimal use of these municipal tools can change the trajectory of our current housing situation, creating a better future for housing availability and affordability.

Read The Toolkit

Family Day Factsheet: No Family Left Behind 2024

As part of the Happiness and Wellbeing Lab project, the United Way South Vancouver Island and Community Council release an annual family day fact sheet. The fact sheet brings awareness that even though we may all be in the same storm, we are not all in the same boat. As we celebrate this BC Family Day, let's make sure that No Family Gets Left Behind.

Read The Report

Let’s Talk Urban Living With Uytae Lee

Let's Talk Urban Living With Uytae Lee

Join us for an exciting evening as we host our Annual General Meeting and then dive into the world of urban living and civic storytelling with Uytae Lee of popular urbanist YouTube channel About Here. He'll kick off with some Victoria area trivia before exploring topics ranging from housing to transit and beyond, promising an engaging dialogue on the facets that shape our urban experience.

Timing

5:00-5:30pm: AGM, all welcome — if you'd like to sign up as a member to the CSPC, click here.

5:30-6:00pm: Mingling, food and beverages available for purchase — we're pleased to have Maiiz Nixtamal on-site selling fresh tamales, street corn, and chips and salsa!

6:00-7:00pm: Uytae Lee

Venue: Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad St, Victoria, BC V8W 2B2

Grab your friends and come join us for a fun-filled evening of captivating stories, great food, and exciting discussions.

About Uytae Lee

Uytae Lee is a columnist and filmmaker whose work covers the complex issues surrounding our cities. He’s the creator of the CBC series ‘Stories About Here’, where he explores topics such as underground streams, zoning reform, public washrooms, street-food, and much much more. In addition to his CBC series, Uytae also produces urban planning documentaries for his own YouTube channel About Here.