U.S. Homeless Population Records Drop in 2025, Department Credits Trump

The New York Times reported that the U.S. homeless population had a record drop in 2025. According to that report, the Department of Housing and Urban Development credited President Trump for the decline. The full account is available in the New York Times report on the homeless population drop.

The Times also reported that homeless advocacy groups offered a different explanation. The groups said that the so-called "Housing First" policies of Trump's predecessors played a part in the result. The Times summary does not say how the groups weighed their view against the department's credit for the drop.

The Times summary does not state the size of the decline, the source of the count, or the method used to produce it. It also does not identify the year or period against which the 2025 figure is compared. Because the Times report is the only source available for this story, the details of the department's statement and the groups' statements cannot be checked against other reporting here.

The Times report was written by reporter Jason DeParle. The sources differ on what produced the change: the department attributed it to the current administration, while the advocacy groups, as the Times described them, attributed part of it to earlier federal policy. The available material does not resolve that disagreement.

Further details on the findings, including any figures the department or the groups released beyond what the Times summarized, are not included in the material used for this report.

Sources: The New York Times: U.S. Homeless Population Had Record Drop in 2025.