2025 Homeless Count Results Recently Released by a Majority of CA Continuums of Care Reveal a Collective Statewide Decrease of 4.3%

Joe Colletti, PhD//September 8, 2025
Last Updated September 8, 2025 /

Of California’s 44 Continuums of Care (CoCs),

  • 29 of 30 CoCs that completed a Point-in-Time (PIT) unsheltered and sheltered count in 2025 publicly reported their total counts, unsheltered counts, and sheltered counts (1 CoC has not yet publicly reported its count); and
  • 14 of the 44 CoCs only completed a sheltered count.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires CoCs to conduct a PIT count of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness at least every other year (biennially) and a PIT sheltered count every year over one night during the last 10 calendar days of January. CoCs were required to submit their PIT count data to HUD via HUD’s Homelessness Data Exchange, Version 2.0 (HDX 2.0) by June 13.

HUD has officially released total homeless count results and related subpopulation data for each CoC and state on HUD Exchange under CoC Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports by the end of each calendar year.

Total Count Comparison

Table 1 shows that the 29 CoCs collectively counted 131,209 persons as sheltered and unsheltered in 2025 which is 5,910 or 4.3% less persons when compared to the 137,019 persons they counted as sheltered and unsheltered in 2024.

Table 1 also shows that 17 or more than half (58.6%) of the 29 CoCs publicly reported a total number of persons counted in 2025 that is less than their 2024 total count. Twelve (12) or less than half (41.4%) of the 29 CoCs publicly reported an increase in the total number of persons counted in 2025 when compared to their 2014 total count.

Table 1 also provides regional sub-total comparisons for CoCs located in Northern California, Central California, and Southern California:

  • 13 Northern California CoCs collectively counted 1,780 or 1% less persons in 2025;
  • 5 Central California CoCs collectively counted 326 or 6% more persons in 2025; and
  • 11 Southern California CoCs collectively counted 4,456 or 3% less persons in 2025.

Click here to see a regional map of CoCs

Unsheltered Count Comparison

As noted by HUD, CoCs must count all individuals or families who meet the criteria in paragraph (1)(i) of the homeless definition in 24 CFR 578.3. This includes individuals and families “with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground” on the night designated for the count. 

Table 2 shows that the 29 CoCs collectively counted 8,169 or 8.9% less persons as unsheltered in 2025 when compared to the number of persons they collectively counted as unsheltered in 2024.

Table 2 also provides regional unsheltered sub-total comparisons for CoCs located in Northern California, Central California, and Southern California. The

  • 13 Northern California CoCs collectively counted 1,665 or 0% less persons in 2025;
  • 5 Central California CoCs collectively counted 5 or 0% less persons in 2025; and
  • 11 Southern California CoCs collectively counted 6,499 or 3% less persons in 2025.

Sheltered Count Comparison 

As noted by HUD, CoCs must count all individuals or families who meet the criteria in paragraph (1)(ii) of the homeless definition in 24 CFR 578.3. This includes individuals and families “living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals)” on the night designated for the count. This includes individuals residing in Safe Haven projects.

Table 3 shows that the 29 CoCs collectively counted 2,259 or 5.0% more persons as sheltered in 2025 when compared to the number of persons they counted as sheltered in 2024.

Table 3 also provides regional sheltered sub-total comparisons for CoCs located in Northern California, Central California, and Southern California. The

  • 13 Northern California CoCs collectively counted 115 or 4% less persons in 2025;
  • 5 Central California CoCs collectively counted 331 or 7% more persons in 2025; and
  • 11 Southern California CoCs collectively counted 2,043 or 6.1% more persons in 2025.

California’s Final Count Results

When HUD officially releases total homeless count results and related subpopulation data for each Continuum of Care (CoC) and state—typically during the last quarter of the calendar year via the HUD Exchange’s  CoC Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports – California’s official 2025 totals will include:

Total Homeless Count

  • The total number of persons collectively counted as unsheltered and sheltered by the 30 CoCs that completed an unsheltered and sheltered count in 2025; and
  • The total number of persons collectively counted as sheltered by the 14 CoCs that only completed a sheltered count in 2025, and the total number of persons these 14 CoCs collectively counted as unsheltered in 2024. In other words, because HUD does not require CoCs to complete an unsheltered count every year but requires an unsheltered count to be conducted biennially, HUD will add the 2024 unsheltered count to the 2025 sheltered count as the total 2025 homeless count for each of the 14 CoCs.

Total Sheltered Count

  • The total number of persons collectively counted as sheltered by the 30 CoCs that completed an unsheltered and sheltered count in 2025; and
  • The total number of persons collectively counted as sheltered by the 14 CoCs that only completed a sheltered count in 2025.

Total Unsheltered Count

  • The total number of persons collectively counted as unsheltered by the 30 CoCs that completed an unsheltered and sheltered count in 2025; and
  • The total number of persons collectively counted as unsheltered in 2024 by the 14 CoCs that only completed a sheltered count in 2025. Because HUD does not require CoCs to complete an unsheltered count every year, but requires an unsheltered count to be conducted biennially, HUD will add the 2024 unsheltered counts submitted to HUD last year by the 14 CoCs to the 2025 unsheltered counts completed by the 30 CoCs that completed an unsheltered and sheltered count in 2025.

A comparison of HUD’s officially released 2025 total homeless count results will reveal

  • a statewide decrease in the total number of people counted as unsheltered and sheltered when compared to HUD’s officially released 2024 total unsheltered and sheltered homeless count;
  • a statewide decrease in the total number of people counted as unsheltered when compared to HUD’s officially released 2024 total unsheltered homeless count; and
  • a statewide increase in the total number of people counted as sheltered when compared to HUD’s officially released 2024 total sheltered homeless count.

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