Housing advocates expect homelessness numbers to fall slightly

by Robbie Sequeira, Maryland Matters
May 11, 2026

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s annual one-night count of those experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness is projected to show a decline after a record-high surge in 2024, according to a new report.

Conducted during January, the Point-in-Time count is HUD’s annual one-night census of people staying in shelters and unsheltered locations; the latest official national Point-in-Time report found 771,480 people experiencing homelessness in January 2024, an 18% surge from 2023.

Preliminary 2025 estimates, though, indicate homelessness has stabilized. A review by the nonprofit advocacy group Community Solutions, based on local counts available from 170 communities, projects that the total may fall to about 755,300 — a roughly 2% decline — though HUD has not yet released the official 2025 count.

“The shift from sustained increases to a small net decline suggests that the rapid expansion of homelessness seen in recent years has slowed,” the report said. “At a national level, this pattern is consistent with a period of stabilization, in which the number of people entering homelessness is more closely balanced with the number exiting.”

HUD’s 2020-2024 national summary shows 912,807 people experienced homelessness for the first time in 2024, which was a slight decline from 967,134 in 2023 but still far above the 2020 and 2021 levels.

The Point-in-Time numbers from this past January aren’t expected to be released until late this year or early next year.

Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira can be reached at rsequeira@stateline.org.

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