US Homelessness Falls 6.3% as Trump Pushes Treatment-First Shift
The 2026 point-in-time count put the number of people experiencing homelessness nationwide at 698,425, a decline of more than 47,000 from the prior year. The Department of Housing and Urban Development called it the largest annual drop since the count began nearly two decades ago, and the second consecutive yearly decrease. Homelessness remains above prepandemic levels.
Housing Secretary Scott Turner credited President Donald Trump’s border policies and efforts to remove people he described as criminal immigrants from the streets. The administration is also moving federal support away from housing-led initiatives offering extended rental aid without mandatory treatment, toward shorter-term programs that make treatment a condition of aid.
The causes of the decline are disputed. Nonprofit groups that analyzed local counts said the reductions were widespread, with 57% of 182 local areas recording fewer homeless people. Community Solutions analyst Adam Ruege said declines in New York, Chicago, Boston and Denver accounted for nearly half the national reduction, while also pointing to decreases in many other places. He cited local cooperation and possible cooling in some housing markets as factors that may have contributed.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness said homelessness among people in shelters fell by more than 7%, while unsheltered homelessness declined nearly 5%. Chronic homelessness, however, rose about 1%. Veteran homelessness fell roughly 7%, continuing a long-term decline that advocates associate in part with HUD-Vash, a well-funded Housing First program.
Local trends varied sharply. Los Angeles County counted 73,040 people experiencing homelessness, up 1.2%; the city’s count rose 3.4% to 45,194. The administration is seeking major cuts to Housing First programs and a shift toward treatment mandates, while nonprofit advocates argue existing programs are helping drive reductions.
Homelessness Falls as Trump Targets Programs Helping People Find Housing
The latest national count shows homelessness declining for a second year, yet the Trump administration is using the results to justify cutting Housing First programs that provide rental support without requiring treatment first. That shift risks undermining services the National Alliance to End Homelessness says are helping people, even as the administration promotes its treatment-mandate approach.
The January count found 698,425 people experiencing homelessness, down more than 47,000 from the previous year. The alliance said homelessness among people in shelters fell by more than 7%, and unsheltered homelessness by nearly 5%. Its chief executive, Ann Oliva, said the system was working for many people and objected to the administration’s plan to gut programs.
The policy stakes are especially clear in veteran homelessness, which fell about 7% and is nearly 60% lower than in 2010. Advocates point to HUD-Vash, a Housing First program supported with substantially more funding than other homelessness programs, as part of that progress.
The decline was broad: 57% of 182 local areas tracked by Community Solutions saw their homeless populations shrink. But the picture remains uneven. Chronic homelessness rose about 1%, and Los Angeles County’s count increased 1.2% to 73,040, with the city of Los Angeles up 3.4% to 45,194.
The administration credits border enforcement and wants to redirect federal money toward short-term treatment programs. But the national decline does not establish that Housing First failed; nonprofit analysts say current programs and frontline workers have helped produce two years of reductions. Cutting them now could put that progress at risk.
Homelessness Drops as Trump Replaces Housing-First Orthodoxy
The national homeless population fell by more than 47,000 in the latest count, a record annual decline that gives the Trump administration a case for changing federal policy. HUD says the old Housing First approach failed to address addiction, and is redirecting support toward programs that make treatment central rather than offering long-term rental aid without that requirement.
The January count found 698,425 people experiencing homelessness, down 6.3% from the previous year and marking a second consecutive decline. Scott Turner credited President Donald Trump’s border crackdown and efforts to restore safety. The administration has also argued that the Biden-era approach coincided with a 28% rise in homelessness from 2022 to 2025.
The figures complicate claims that expensive housing alone explains homelessness: an administration ally noted that homelessness fell despite housing remaining costly in much of the country. Community Solutions found that nearly half the national decrease came from New York, Chicago, Boston and Denver, cities that had received many asylum seekers. Its analysis also found declines across 57% of 182 local areas.
The drop is not universal. Los Angeles County’s homeless population rose 1.2% to 73,040, and the city’s increased 3.4% to 45,194. Chronic homelessness also rose about 1%, underscoring the administration’s argument that treatment and underlying causes need greater attention.
Nonprofit advocates oppose major cuts to Housing First and say existing programs are working. But the administration is pursuing a different model: short-term assistance tied to treatment, rather than continuing to fund a system it says has not adequately confronted addiction.
Reported by New York Post, The Boston Globe.
