National homelessness decreased by 3.3% between 2024 and 2025, according to the annual Point-in-Time Homeless Census. The National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) attributed this reduction to investments in housing and supportive services made during the previous Biden administration, concurrently warning that policy shifts under the current federal administration threaten to reverse these gains.
A leading homelessness researcher has challenged the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s recent critique of Housing First policies, asserting that federal officials are overlooking the critical role of affordable housing shortages in exacerbating homelessness.
A new report from Housing Not Handcuffs alleges that the Texas-based Cicero Institute maintains financial and political ties to industries, including private prison operations and surveillance technology firms, that stand to benefit from increased criminalization of unhoused individuals. The report contends that the Institute’s policy proposals consistently advocate for law enforcement-centric responses to homelessness.
The escalating issue of squatting, attributed to rising housing costs and persistent homelessness, has highlighted significant challenges for property owners. Efforts to remove unauthorized occupants frequently involve protracted civil court proceedings, often resulting in delays spanning six months to two years and potential property damage, according to analyses from organizations such as the Pacific Legal Foundation. Critics argue that the phenomenon underscores systemic deficiencies within housing policy and affordability frameworks.
Advocates are raising alarm over a recently passed bill in the Louisiana House of Representatives that they say would criminalize homelessness and impose punitive measures on unhoused people, potentially creating exploitative labor conditions and a two-tiered justice system.
The Cicero Institute, a well-funded think tank, is behind a coordinated policy effort that has led to 22 states considering or enacting laws that increase penalties on people experiencing homelessness, while California is pursuing alternative approaches that prioritize access to services.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Alabama’s appeal in Singleton v. Taylor, leaving in place a lower court ruling that found the state’s anti-solicitation laws unconstitutional under the First Amendment.