Surrey's urban Indigenous population rises to highest in B.C. as families grapple with soaring costs

Advocates are calling for more support for the growing Indigenous population in Surrey, B.C., as demand for housing rises and resources are stretched thin.

More than 16,000 Indigenous people currently call the Lower Mainland city home  — the largest urban Indigenous population in all of British Columbia. And the Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee predicts the Indigenous population will continue to grow 4.4 percent over the next five years. 

While Surrey used to be affordable, at least compared to neighbouring Vancouver, some Indigenous residents are struggling as the cost of living soars..

Crystal Wilson is a mother of three who moved to Surrey from her hometown of Kitimat on B.C.'s North Coast eight years ago.

She says her children's health was the main reason she moved.

"I find that there's more resources for kids down here. My son specifically had some support needs, so we decided to move down here where he could receive that support sooner," she said. "He was set up with a pediatrician and mental-health support."

Wilson said stable, affordable housing was also a major factor at the time. 

"Back then we had like a pretty decent four-bedroom home and I think we paid $1,300 for it. So it was definitely at the most affordable time," she said. "Now it's much higher than that and we're in a place where we've lived for probably three years and I can't even think of moving."

Kyla Painter is the executive director of the Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association. 

She said Surrey used to be affordable and also provided education and employment opportunities that were a major draw for some members of the Indigenous community. 

"We know a lot of rural communities are having challenges with opportunities, transit and water access. Young families are having children and wanting to have opportunities," said Painter.

"Previously we saw a lot of people coming to Surrey for affordability. That's not the case anymore. Affordability was there, job opportunities were there, child care was there," Painter said. "Unfortunately that's changed quite a bit now with the growth in Surrey, access to those things is not the same as it used to be."

Painter says families grappling with poverty and homelessness turn to the friendship centre for support, but it's impossible help to everyone in need. 

"We are offering community connections, access to culture, access to vital supports that are needed, but there are a lot of things that we are seeing as gaps right now that we're trying to fill," she said. "We are seeing still a lot of homelessness and that looks like families … with children sleeping in cars."