By Vanguard Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. — National homelessness declined by 3.3% between 2024 and 2025, according to this year’s Point-in-Time Homeless Census, a result that advocates say demonstrates the effectiveness of housing-focused policies while warning that recent federal actions threaten to reverse those gains.
The National Homelessness Law Center said the newly-released census data showed that tens of thousands of people moved from homelessness into housing during the period covered by the count. The organization attributed the decline to investments in housing and supportive services made during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
The Point-in-Time count, conducted during the early weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term, captured conditions before many of the administration’s homelessness-related policy changes took effect.
According to the National Homelessness Law Center, the results show that reducing homelessness is possible when governments invest in housing and support services. However, the organization argued that actions taken by the Trump administration since the count was conducted have undermined that progress.
The advocacy group pointed to a series of developments it says have worsened conditions for people experiencing homelessness. These include state and local policies criminalizing homelessness, proposals involving forced treatment and labor programs for unhoused individuals, and federal initiatives that support involuntary commitments, court-ordered treatment and guardianships for homeless veterans.
The organization also criticized proposed reductions in federal funding for housing, harm-reduction programs and mental health services. It said those cuts were ultimately blocked through litigation and congressional advocacy efforts, but warned they could have displaced nearly 170,000 formerly homeless people.
The National Homelessness Law Center further alleged that federal interventions in local jurisdictions have displaced unhoused residents. It cited actions in Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, claiming that homelessness was used as a justification for expanded federal involvement.
The group also highlighted the eviction of nearly 200 people from Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest, arguing that authorities failed to provide adequate alternative shelter or housing options.
At the same time, the organization criticized the administration for failing to address housing affordability, noting that rising rents remain a major factor contributing to homelessness nationwide.
The group also questioned why the Point-in-Time count was released six months later than usual, arguing that the delay reflects a lack of urgency in addressing homelessness.
“Homelessness is down because President Biden funded things that we know work, like housing and support,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, campaign and communications director at the National Homelessness Law Center. “Sadly, the Trump administration is doing everything they can to backtrack on this progress.”
Rabowitz added, “Trump’s policies will make housing more expensive and make more people homeless and sick. Donald Trump wants to take us backwards, but most people know the truth: we need housing and support, not handcuffs and detention camps.”
The organization also criticized the federal government’s handling of demographic data in this year’s report. According to the National Homelessness Law Center, the latest results omitted discussion of gender disparities among people experiencing homelessness.
The group argued that removing references to gender obscures important differences in how homelessness affects men, women and transgender individuals and could hinder the development of effective policy responses.
“This isn’t just about words; it is about policy,” the organization said in its statement. “This shift is consistent with Trump’s broader efforts to strip humanity from and scapegoat our homeless and trans neighbors.”
The statement continued, “This administration has made their priorities clear: they are more interested in slow-walking vital data and wasting time removing words that don’t align with narrow views than they are in addressing the dire lack of housing and care for everyone in this country.”
The National Homelessness Law Center linked rising homelessness risks to broader housing affordability challenges. The organization noted that many renters continue to struggle with housing costs and warned that millions remain vulnerable to housing instability.
“Our housing system is broken,” the organization said. “Half of renters struggle to pay rent, and one in four worries about becoming homeless.”
The statement argued that policymakers seeking to reduce homelessness must address structural issues within the housing market.
“If politicians were serious about solving homelessness, they would address the underlying cause: a housing system that puts profit before people,” the organization said. “It’s not a radical belief to know that nobody should live without a home in the richest country in the world.”
The group concluded by calling for increased investments in housing and supportive services, arguing that the nation already possesses the resources and expertise necessary to substantially reduce homelessness.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” the statement said. “We have enough money and enough know-how to solve homelessness. It’s beyond time for politicians to use their power to ensure that everybody, regardless of what they look like, where they come from, or who they love, has the housing and support they need to thrive.”
The Point-in-Time count is the federal government’s annual census of people experiencing homelessness and is widely used to measure trends in homelessness across the United States. While advocates view the 2025 decline as evidence that housing-first approaches can reduce homelessness, debates continue over the role of housing policy, social services and enforcement-based responses in addressing the nation’s ongoing housing crisis.
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