Homelessness fell again. Here’s why.

From Next City

Homelessness in the United States fell for the second year in a row. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentreported on Nov. 6 that 698,425 people were homeless on a single night in January 2026, down 6.3% from 2025. We appreciate HUD’s prompt release of this year’s count, and the thousands of local staff and volunteers who carry it out each January.

Meanwhile, a separate analysis by the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated a 6.7% drop, and at Community Solutions, our own analysis of 182 communities projected a 6.2% decline. Three separate efforts landed within half a point of each other.

That’s good news, and it deserves a careful read. Several factors contributed to this decline, and they vary from place to place.