HUD: Homelessness Sees Largest Decrease on Record, With 698,425 Counted on a Single Night in January
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in Washington on November 6, 2026, the largest decrease in homelessness on record in American history. According to data from the 2026 nationwide Point-in-Time (PIT) count, 698,425 individuals were homeless on a single night in January, a 6.3% decrease since President Trump took office in 2025.
HUD said the decrease follows historic border control and a Supreme Court victory reaffirming the right of local governments to limit dangerous encampments. Under the previous administration's Housing First mandate, HUD said, homelessness increased 28% from 2022 to 2025; the department said it is dispensing with that approach and implementing Treatment First policies to help Americans tackle addiction.
"President Trump's actions to secure the border, get criminal illegals off our streets, and restore safety to our communities drove a historic decrease in homelessness," said Secretary Scott Turner. "However, after a decade of failed Housing First policies, homelessness remains near a historic high. Clearly, there is more work to do. HUD is rejecting the addiction-fueled depravity seen from LA's Skid Row to New York's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' and moving to Treatment First to restore lives of self-sufficiency."
HUD said that under the previous administration's open border policies, illegal immigrants filled America's homeless shelters and homelessness increased largely in states with sanctuary city policies like New York, Illinois, California, and Massachusetts.
In July 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order on "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets," which empowered HUD to tackle substance abuse as part of addressing homelessness, shifting from Housing First policies. In June, Secretary Scott Turner announced the most competitive homelessness assistance funding in history and received a record-setting 3,700 new applications from across the country. In August, he rolled out the "Best Practices Toolkit: Addressing Homelessness and Addiction through Treatment First" alongside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). (Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国住房与城市发展部长 Scott Turner 官方肖像。美国住房与城市发展部官方照片，公共领域。 / Photo: Official portrait of U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development photo, public domain.
