Home Care in Surrey, BC: How to Find and Pay for It (2026)

When families in Surrey start looking for home care, the first thing worth knowing is that there are two separate systems, and they work differently.

The first is publicly funded home support, arranged through Fraser Health. This is the government system. A case manager assesses your parent's needs, and what you pay is based on income. It covers personal care like help with bathing, dressing, and medication — not housekeeping or companionship on its own.

The second is private home care, provided by agencies you hire directly. You don't need a health authority assessment to start, you choose the hours, and the agency can usually begin within days. Private care can cover the things public home support doesn't, like light housekeeping, meal prep, companionship, and overnight help.

Many Surrey families end up using both. Public home support covers the assessed personal care, and a private agency fills the gaps. Knowing which system does what saves you a lot of phone calls.

Surrey sits in the Fraser Health region, so publicly funded home support runs through Fraser Health's Home & Community Care team. The starting point is one phone call.

Call [Fraser Health Home & Community Care intake at 1-855-412-2121](https://www.fraserhealth.ca/Service-Directory/Services/home-and-community-care/home-and-community-care). The line is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., every day of the year. You can call yourself, or a doctor or hospital can make a referral for your parent. A case manager then arranges an assessment to decide what services your parent qualifies for.

What you pay depends on income. Your [daily rate is calculated from your income](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/home-community-care/care-options-and-cost/home-support), and there's a ceiling: if you or your spouse has earned income, you won't be charged more than $300 a month for home support. And if your parent receives the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Spouse's Allowance, or the Widowed Spouse's Allowance, home support is free.

The trade-off is timing and scope. Public home support can have a wait, and it focuses on assessed personal care rather than the lighter day-to-day help many families also want.

If you're paying privately, home care in BC [generally runs about $35 to $75 an hour](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/home-community-care/care-options-and-cost), depending on the type of care. Companion and homemaking help sits at the lower end. Personal care — bathing, transfers, medication reminders — sits in the middle. Skilled nursing is at the top.

Most agencies set a minimum number of hours per visit, often two to four. So the real question isn't just the hourly rate — it's how many hours a week your parent actually needs, and whether the agency can cover the times that matter, like early mornings or overnights.

A rough way to think about it: a few hours of help several times a week is very different in cost from round-the-clock care. If your parent needs only a morning check-in and some help with meals, private home care can be quite affordable. If they need constant supervision, the math changes, and it's worth comparing the cost against assisted living.

Two or three calls to different Surrey agencies is usually enough to compare hourly rates, visit minimums, and how soon they can start.

Before you commit, a short list of questions tells you most of what you need to know:

• Can you start this week, and what days and hours can you cover? Availability matters more than anything if you need help soon.
• What's your hourly rate and your minimum visit length? This is the real cost, not just the headline rate.
• Are caregivers your employees, and are they bonded and insured? You want to know who's accountable.
• Will the same caregiver come each time? Consistency matters, especially for a parent with memory issues.
• What happens if our regular caregiver is sick? Ask how they handle coverage gaps.
• Can you coordinate with Fraser Health home support? If your parent has both, you want the two working together, not tripping over each other.

You don't have to settle for the first agency you reach. It's reasonable to talk to a few and pick the one whose answers and availability fit your family.

Looking in Vancouver instead? See our Vancouver home care guide.