Nightmares, death threats and more: A B.C. senior shares his homelessness story

A former Surrey, B.C., instructor who is dealing with homelessness says that there's a misconception that it only when happens to those dealing with do drugs or mental wellness problems.

The transitional lodging shelter where Mah currently sleeps is run by the Union Gospel Mission. The organization says almost a third of its shelter clients are now over the age of 55, a number that increased dramatically after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mah's journey began when he was renovicted by a former student whose father had allowed him to rent a room for $600 a month.

"When he became landlord, he changed … he decided to pester me about this and that," Mah recalled.

"Then, he charged $3,600 a month and my pension's not even, you know, barely above that."

Vancouver homeless shelter adapting to rise in seniors

Even in the weeks leading up to his renoviction, Mah faced one bad turn after another.

He said he was T-boned in a car accident that could have left him a paraplegic.

Mah then tried to stay with a friend after the renoviction, but he was forced from that apartment after "nosy neighbours" complained, so his friend offered him his car to stay in.

"It was a little Toyota. It was small … it was cold, wet, damp and there was leaves everywhere," Mah recalled.

"So I had a dream, actually a nightmare, that I was being suffocated by leaves. So I got out of that car."

Mah ended up in an emergency shelter in Vancouver.

But a week later, the senior said a man told him he wanted to kill him.

Eventually, after moving to another shelter for six months, Mah found himself at the Union Gospel Mission's transitional housing shelter.

It's a place to sleep at night, but not a permanent one, with a time limit of two years to find permanent housing.

Mah is dealing with tax payments of $1,500 a month, in addition to searching for housing.

"It all scares me. I feel like it takes a lot of energy to find housing. It takes a lot of energy to move, you know, and my health situation is not 100 per cent right now," Mah said.

"I don't know. I just try to get better and stronger and rely on friends."

Food Banks Canada data shows that 11.3 per cent of food bank users in B.C. In 2025 were older than 65 — among the highest rates in the country.

The 2025 Metro Vancouver homeless count showed that, of the respondents who provided their age, 22 per cent were above the age of 55.

Nick Wells, spokesperson for the Union Gospel Mission, said the number of seniors needing transitional housing went up dramatically after the pandemic.

"It can happen to anybody, right? This is people who are becoming unhoused through no fault of their own," he said.

But though the shelter has had to accommodate more seniors — through measures like ensuring they have the bottom bunk bed or access to electrical outlets — Wells says they're not equipped to hand out medication or support seniors in a more dedicated fashion.

"Buildings and systems like ours aren't designed to help seniors," he said.

"And … that's what we were hoping to see, is more supportive housing with wraparound care that can better support people."

B.C.'s Seniors' Advocate Dan Levitt says it's important that the province create a strategy to deal with seniors who are experiencing homelessness.

He pointed out that, according to the 2025 Metro Vancouver homeless count, 47 per cent of homeless seniors said they were experiencing being unhoused for the first time as a senior.

"We have to make sure that housing for seniors is livable places where they can age in place and have the supports to help them there," he said.

A spokesperson for B.C.'s Housing Ministry said said that it had expanded access to rent supplement programs for seniors and built thousands of homes specifically for seniors since 2017.

"It's vital that [seniors] can access affordable homes where they can age with dignity and stability," Housing Minister Christine Boyle said in the statement.

"That is why we continue to deliver homes throughout the province, so seniors with low to moderate incomes have access to homes that meet their needs."

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