Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson vowed to end homelessness in his city by 2015, but the number of people living on the streets is on the rise. At last count, in March, nearly 1,800 people were homeless or living in shelters. And the number of people without any shelter has tripled since 2011.

"It was a frustrating setback, in what has been solid progress over the last five years," Mayor Robertson told As It Happens.

"We had a couple of contributing factors [in March] with social housing delayed on opening and not enough shelter stock there to make sure everyone there had a chance to get off the street."

Hear guest host Rick MacInnes-Rae's interview with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson by selecting the "Listen" button.