California reported one of the largest decreases in homelessness over the past year, according to a new report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (Hud).
The Golden state recorded a total unhoused population of 181,934 in 2025 – an almost 3% decrease since the year prior, placing it among the five states with the largest decreases from 2024. However, more significant drops were recorded in Illinois (44%), Hawaii (41%), Florida (11%) and New York (8%).
The new data signals at least some success on the part of Gavin Newsom, the California governor who has intensified his crackdown on homelessness over the past year. In May 2025 he announced a new model ordinance for cities and counties to address “persistent” homeless encampments, as well as $3.3bn in voter-approved funding to increase housing and drug treatment programs.
Headline: “California reports one of the largest drops in homelessness”
Me: 😃
Article: “…thanks to new model ordinance to crackdown on homeless encampments”
Me: 🙁
So basically, they’re just sweeping homeless people into the prison system and using a faulty metric to frame this as a good thing…
At least in my community in CA, we expanded safe housing for the unhoused by opening several hundred mini apartments in a converted motel, and a new five story building, in association with a non-profit, Mercy House. The two sites have social services on site, with career counseling available, social services, etc. I guess it’s a modified “housing first” model that seems to be working.
That’s incredible. I’m seeing it in my city too
Hopefully it’s more from actual improvements than recategorizing how people are counted. “He’s got a tent. Not homeless.”
yeah or not just that fed departments now only give numbers they feel will be acceptable and not get them fired.
California has started removing tents, so technically?
Tent-nically
We are deporting people left and right
Did they actually REDUCE homelessness? Because it sounds like they just drove it deeper into hiding, where they will be even more susceptible to abuse, exploitation, crime, etc.
Can’t be homeless if ICE threw you in a concentration camp
Big difference
Near me they built a shelters for a few hundred people.
Now if we could get red states to stop bussing their homeless to California that would help
Did they fix the root cause or just shift them somewhere else?
Florida enacted HB 1365, which prohibits counties and cities from allowing people to regularly camp or sleep on public property. It even allows businesses to sue the government for lack of enforcement.
New York is basically the opposite. Demanding shelter for eligible residents. Illinois is also progressively approaching homelessness.
Hawaii is a mixed bag. So is California.
I’m guessing you mean “Illinois is taking a progressive approach to solving homelessness” but the way you phrased it makes it sound like homelessness is the condition they’re trying to achieve
During Covid, my town set up portable shelter in one section of the town common. No one likes the problem to be so visible but at least we were doing something.
Now there are many fewer visible homeless, the problem is “fixed”
