ON January 20, Burnaby RCMP Police Mental Health and Outreach Team (PMHOT) in partnership with the City of Burnaby’s Intervention Support Team were successful in finding shelter for a 71-year-old man who had been homeless for 14 years.
On December 9, 2025, PMHOT officers visited an encampment near the 3600-block of Kensington Avenue in Burnaby after receiving information from Metro Vancouver Park Rangers that there may be an unhoused person living in the area. The trail that leads to the encampment was challenging to navigate and very overgrown with vegetation.
When officers arrived, they were greeted by the lone resident, who was happy to see them and receptive to receiving support. The man also asked for some time to organize his possessions before moving on.
After their visit on December 9, Burnaby RCMP engaged the City of Burnaby Intervention Support Team to provide support to the man in hopes of finding him housing.
PMHOT officers re-attended the site early in the new year and provided the man with a warming kit containing cold-weather supplies and blankets while waiting for housing arrangements to be confirmed.
On January 19, arrangements were finalized by the Intervention Support Team, and the man moved into temporary housing. Further plans are in the works for a more permanent housing solution.
“This is the kind of outcome our Police Mental Health and Outreach Team is continually working towards alongside our partners, and we are so happy this senior is no longer out in the cold,” said Community Programs Officer Inspector Amanda Harnett. “It’s incredibly meaningful to see how someone’s life can be changed when they are able to get the support they need, and our collaboration with the City’s Intervention Support Team helps to make this possible.”
“Our strong relationship with the Burnaby RCMP’s Police Mental Health and Outreach Team is an incredibly important component of the work we do to help unhoused individuals in our community,” said Graham de la Gorgendiere, General Manager of Community Safety with the City of Burnaby. “Last year, our Intervention Support Team worked with more than 200 people and provided dozens of referrals to shelter and housing.”
PMHOT is responsible for responding to a variety of chronic social issues, along with maintaining and establishing partnerships with local mental health and homelessness related agencies to provide appropriate services to clients who need it most. PMHOT officers help to ensure the safety of outreach workers as well as unhoused individuals. In 2025, PMHOT conducted 197 outreach visits to support the City’s most vulnerable and unhoused citizens.
The City of Burnaby’s Intervention Support team provides a compassionate, trauma-informed approach to addressing homelessness. They help connect individuals with referrals to housing or shelters; health services referrals including mental health supports and addiction treatment programs, and assistance with obtaining identification cards.
