The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Friday that the 2026 Point-in-Time count recorded 698,425 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, marking a 6.3 percent decrease from the prior year and the largest single-year decline since HUD began nationwide counts in 2007.

Secretary Scott Turner credited the drop to President Trump's border security measures, efforts to remove criminal illegal immigrants from streets, and a Supreme Court decision supporting local limits on encampments. The announcement highlighted a shift away from the prior Housing First approach, which saw homelessness rise 28 percent from 2022 to 2025 under the previous administration, toward Treatment First policies that address substance abuse.

Independent analyses from the National Alliance to End Homelessness and Community Solutions confirmed similar reductions of approximately 6 to 6.7 percent, estimating the national total near 693,000 to 700,000 people. Both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness declined, with sheltered counts falling more sharply. Veteran homelessness dropped nearly 8 percent.

The decrease follows two consecutive years of reductions after earlier rises linked in part to sanctuary city policies in states such as New York, Illinois, California, and Massachusetts. HUD noted that illegal immigrants had strained shelters in those areas.

Chronic homelessness showed a slight increase of about 1 percent in some estimates, underscoring ongoing challenges for the most vulnerable populations. The agency plans to continue emphasizing treatment mandates in future funding allocations.