Photo: Dan Toulgoet

A homeless count conducted across the Lower Mainland in March has revealed that Vancouver saw a slight drop in the number of people living without a home — 2,095, compared to 2,223 counted in March 2019.

A report released by the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association Wednesday showed that 1,548 people were living in some form of shelter at the time of the count and 547 on the street. The count was conducted over 24 hours on March 3 and 4.

Vancouver made up the bulk of the homeless population, with a total of 3,634 people counted across the region. Volunteers counted 644 people in Surrey, 209 in Langley, 123 in New Westminster and 121 on the North Shore.

The statistics show a slight increase of 29 people from the last regional count conducted in 2017. In Vancouver, however, a count has been conducted each year for the last decade, with 2,223 a record-setting number last year.

The homeless population has increased in Vancouver since 2015, when 1,746 people were counted. That statistic climbed to 2,138 in 2017 and 2,181 in 2018.