WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 19, 2026) — As reported by Military.com, Community Solutions, a nonprofit working with more than 170 communities to secure housing and make homelessness rare and brief, released a preliminary analysis of available 2026 point-in-time (PIT) count data on veteran homelessness, months before the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is expected to release its report.
Each January, communities across the country conduct the PIT count, an estimate of the number of people experiencing homelessness in shelters and in unsheltered locations on a single night. HUD has published the national figure from those counts every year since 2007, typically releasing the national estimates the following winter. Because communities may publish their own results locally well before that, by monitoring publicly available data Community Solutions forecasts a national downward shift in homelessness based on data from 182 of the over 380 HUD Continuum of Care Regions HUD Continuum of Care Regions:
- Veteran homelessness fell 8.2 percent
- Applied nationally, that rate suggests a projected 2026 count near 29,822 veterans, roughly 2,673 below the 32,495 HUD reported for 2025.
- This is the biggest decrease in veteran homelessness in 10 years.
- 2026 could be the first year the national count comes in under 30,000 since veterans were included in the Point-in-Time count in 2009.
“If these numbers hold true, we’ll see a year over year decline in veteran homelessness that we haven’t seen in 10 years. This decline demonstrates that investment at every level of government – federal, state, and local – and the commitment of local organizations and citizens translate not only into measurable results, but sustained results,” said Adam Ruege, Principal of Policy and Evaluation at Community Solutions. “Our challenge now is to build on this progress and ensure that every veteran at risk of homelessness can access safe, stable housing.”
This success is due, at least in part, to the numerous programs and resources available to veterans by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Federal agencies like the VA offer comprehensive medical care and benefits, as well as targeted assistance to help vulnerable veterans secure stable housing and care in several ways. HUD-VASH combines HUD housing vouchers with supportive case management, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) provides rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention services for low-income veteran families, and the VA Grant and Per Diem Program (GPD) funds community agencies providing transitional housing. Congress’ continued authorization of these expenditures helps create comprehensive, veteran-centric solutions to homelessness.
In addition to federal VA programs, everyone from state and local VAs to state governments to local nonprofits have resources dedicated to supporting veteran stability. Many states, including Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin, have programs that help fill gaps for veterans where the federal response cannot support, while local organizations often offer wraparound care, including targeted career services, in-home care, and legal aid.
“This progress could not have been possible without unprecedented collaboration between federal programs, state leaders, local providers, and veteran organizations working together to get the job done,” said Rosanne Haggerty, founder and CEO of Community Solutions. “From New Jersey to Mississippi, we’ve seen how a disciplined, outcomes-focused team with access to a range of housing resources is the key to delivering results.. The country now has a blueprint for making all homelessness rare and brief”.
Community Solutions’ projection is based on publicly available data and our own real-time data indicators. Official 2026 PIT counts have not yet been formally released by HUD.
You can read the full preliminary analysis here.
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About Community Solutions
Community Solutions is a nonprofit working to make homelessness rare and brief. It leads Built for Zero, a network of more than 160 US communities using a field-tested, outcomes-focused approach to reducing and preventing homelessness. Learn more at www.community.solutions or follow us at @CmtySolutions.
Media Contact:
Maddy Troha
mtroha@community.solutions
