Counties report progress on homelessness, but advocates worry the gains won’t last

CALIFORNIA REDUCED ITS OFFICIAL HOMELESS COUNT in 2025 after years of increases. Now, preliminary data for 2026 shows many places in the state are continuing to make progress.

Counties up and down the state are reporting that their homeless populations dropped this year, citing early results of the point-in-time count conducted in January. Some of the drops were significant. San Joaquin County cut its total unhoused population by nearly a third compared to 2024 and nearly halved the number of people sleeping on the street without shelter. Others were more modest, such as San Francisco’s 4% drop.