Drivers of Eviction: Understanding Contributors to Housing Loss for Renters in the Greater Victoria Area

Reducing new instances of homelessness and eviction is vitally important to the work of rent banks across British Columbia.

A new report released by the Community Social Planning Council (CSPC) of Victoria, which operates the Greater Victoria Rent Bank, takes a closer look at the factors contributing to or driving the displacement of renters from their homes. This report summarizes key findings from rent bank data collected in 2024-2025 and puts forward four recommendations to further strengthen the support renters need to stay housed.

The Greater Victoria Rent Bank (GVRB) began operations in 2021, and to date prevented housing loss for over 500 households by distributing nearly $860,000 to renters needing to pay rent or essential utility bills during a time of short-term crisis.

As part of this study, GVRB looked at the rental unaffordability of their applicants, whose rent-to-income ratio has grown from 50% to 54% since 2022. With that much income used just on rent, it’s understandable why even the slightest disruption in earnings can jeopardize housing stability.

The summary of findings in the report determined that there are three key factors putting renters at risk of losing their housing.

1. Delays in receiving government benefits. Over 14% of applicants indicated they were waiting for government benefits.
2. Renters receiving government assistance. A third of renters who reached out to the rent bank were receiving government assistance as their primary source of income – a 6% increase from the year before.
3. Renters experiencing violence. Ten percent of renters indicated they were experiencing violence in some form.

While rent banks have demonstrated their value in supporting renters both financially and by connecting them to community resources, there is more that must be done to reduce the instability and vulnerability of renters.

Read the report and the recommendations made by the Greater Victoria Rent Bank below, or visit CSPC’s website here: communitycouncil.ca/the-drivers-of-eviction