US homelessness drops 6.3% under Trump, California sees rise

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported a 6.3% decline in homelessness nationwide, with 698,425 individuals homeless on a single night in January 2026, marking the largest drop recorded, according to nypost.com.

HUD attributed the decrease to policies implemented under President Trump, including border control measures, a Supreme Court ruling allowing limits on encampments, and a shift from the Biden-era Housing First approach to a Treatment First model focusing on addiction treatment.

Despite the national trend, California's homelessness situation diverged, with Los Angeles County experiencing a 1.2% increase in homeless residents to 73,040, and the city of Los Angeles seeing a 3.4% rise to 45,194, as reported by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner criticized the previous administration's Housing First policy, linking it to a 28% increase in homelessness from 2022 to 2025, and also pointed to immigration policies and sanctuary cities as factors contributing to homelessness in states like California, New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts.