Burnaby

Burnaby sits just east of Vancouver, a sprawling suburb of glass towers, mountainside parks, and busy shopping malls like Metrotown, with a character that's more residential and family-oriented than its flashier neighbor. It's not a poor city on paper — average household income runs close to $110,000 a year — but that wealth is unevenly spread, and the gap leaves plenty of people behind. The most recent Metro Vancouver homeless count, done in 2023, found over 4,821 people experiencing homelessness across the region, with Burnaby accounting for several hundred of that number on any given night. The Progressive Housing Society and Burnaby Together both work locally to connect people with shelter beds, food, and outreach support, and the Salvation Army Burnaby operates services including meals and emergency assistance. Metrotown itself can be a decent place to stay warm and use washrooms during the day, and SkyTrain stations offer shelter from rain if you're not lingering too long. Winters here are wet more than brutally cold, but hypothermia risk is real, so layer up and know where the nearest warming spaces are. You matter, and this city has people in it who want to help you get through the night and toward something steadier — you don't have to figure it all out alone.