Mayor Lurie Announces San Francisco Has Reached Lowest Level Of Unsheltered Homelessness In 15 Years

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today announced that unsheltered homelessness in San Francisco is at its lowest level in 15 years, according to preliminary data from the 2026 Point in Time (PIT) Count. The data shows a significant decline in homelessness across San Francisco, with 1,000 fewer people on the street and unsheltered homelessness decreasing by 22% since the 2024 count—reaching the lowest level recorded since 2011—and the total number of people experiencing homelessness down 4% since 2024. The PIT Count also showed an 85% drop in people living in tents and structures, after the city recorded a record low number of tent encampments in March.

“When I took office, we set out to completely transform the city’s work around homelessness, drugs, and behavioral health—to get people off the street and on the path to stability. From the moment someone is experiencing homelessness to the day they enter long-term stable housing, we got to work with urgency, bringing accountability to a system that needed more of it,” said Mayor Lurie. “I’m proud to announce incredible progress: Unsheltered homelessness in San Francisco is down 22% to its lowest level in 15 years, the number of people in tents is down 85%, and homelessness is down overall. We have more work to do, but we will be relentless until every San Franciscan has the safe, clean streets they deserve.”

The significant progress in addressing homelessness follows more than a year of work under Mayor Lurie’s Breaking the Cycle plan to transform the city’s homelessness and behavioral health response—getting people off the street, into shelter and treatment, and on the path to stability. To help get people off the street, Mayor Lurie consolidated street outreach under the Department of Public Health (DPH) in April, building on initial steps last year that helped increase shelter placements by 40%. He also ended a policy that allowed for the distribution of fentanyl smoking supplies without connections to counseling or treatment. To get them into shelter and treatment, the city has stood up more than 600 new treatment-focused beds under Mayor Lurie’s leadership. The city also opened a 24/7 police-friendly crisis stabilization center last year at 822 Geary Street, which has shown greater success at connecting people in crisis to care, and the RESET Center, which already started connecting people to treatment and recovery in its first week.

To get people who are struggling on the path to stability, Mayor Lurie worked with the Board of Supervisors to address RV homelessness. That program has driven down the number of large vehicles to its lowest level since the city started counting—with a 20% decrease between January 2026 and March 2026 and 132 families connected to housing. He has also reformed and expanded the city’s Journey Home program to help reconnect people with loved ones outside of San Francisco. Since those reforms were implemented in January, more than 100 people have been reconnected with loved ones—the most in a three-month period since Journey Home’s program inception in 2022. To build on this progress and continue integrating healthcare into homeless services, Mayor Lurie appointed Mike Levine as executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) last month, and the city has raised nearly $50 million in private funding to support this work through the Breaking the Cycle Fund.

“We are encouraged by the Point in Time Count results reflecting the commitment and collaborative efforts of our community partners, city leaders, and nonprofit service providers,” said Shireen McSpadden, HSH Executive Director. “This decrease in homelessness indicates that our strategies are working and that we are successfully helping more people prevent homelessness or find the shelter and support they need to transition out of homelessness.”

The 2026 PIT Count was conducted in the morning on January 29, 2026. Preliminary results show:

• An overall decline in homelessness:
  • The total number of people experiencing homelessness decreased 4% since 2024.
• A significant reduction in unsheltered homelessness:
  • Unsheltered homelessness decreased by 22% since the 2024 count—the lowest level recorded since 2011.
  • The PIT Count found a significant reduction in the number of people sleeping in tents and makeshift structures. Fewer than 100 people identified were observed in tents in 2026—an approximately 85% decline from the nearly 650 people identified in tents in 2024.
• More people getting off the street and into shelter:
  • As Mayor Lurie has worked to expand shelter and treatment capacity, the number of people living in shelters or transitional housing increased by 15% since 2024.
  • Currently, 57% of San Francisco’s homeless population is sheltered—the highest rate recorded to date.
• A decrease in youth homelessness:
  • Homelessness among youth declined significantly, with fewer than 600 youth identified in 2026—a 54% decrease since 2024.
• A reduction in veteran homelessness:
  • The number of veterans experiencing homelessness fell by 44% since 2024, declining from 585 in 2024 to 327 in 2026, including a 55% decrease in unsheltered veteran homelessness.
• Continued challenges in addressing family homelessness:
  • The PIT Count identified a 15% increase in families experiencing homelessness since 2024 that reflects continued growth in family homelessness across California and nationwide.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of families identified were sheltered, with the majority of unsheltered families living in vehicles. Under the city’s large vehicle homelessness program, 132 families have moved out of their vehicles and into housing or shelter since permitting began in October, and all families with permitted large vehicles are on track to have housing or shelter by the end of 2026.

“I am encouraged to see the progress San Francisco has made addressing conditions on our streets,” said SFPD Chief Derrick Lew. “This preliminary PIT count reflects that the city’s approach—which includes a role for law enforcement—is working. The SFPD will continue to work closely with our public safety agencies, as well as public health and community partners, to build on this work. I want to thank Mayor Daniel Lurie for his leadership and the hard-working members of the SFPD who are working every day to get people into services and improve conditions on our streets.”

“San Francisco is making meaningful progress, and these preliminary PIT numbers reflect the impact of strong collaboration between public safety, public health, outreach workers, and community partners,” said Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. “Under Mayor Daniel Lurie’s ‘Breaking the Cycle’ initiative, agencies across the city are working together to address the interconnected challenges of homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health. Our deputies see these struggles firsthand, which is why the Sheriff’s Office remains committed to balancing enforcement with intervention and connecting people in crisis to support and services.”

“The preliminary PIT count results are encouraging, and one indicator that we are making progress on one of the most challenging issues facing our city,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.  “We will continue to do our part to leverage the criminal justice system appropriately to help get people into shelter, treatment, and housing.  In addition, we recognize that people experiencing homelessness are often victims of crime and everything we do to reduce homelessness also reduces the chances of further victimization, prevents crime and improves public safety and community well-being.”  

“The 2026 Point-in-Time count gives us a clearer picture of the challenges we face on the streets every day,” said Fire Chief Dean Crispen. “As first responders, we see the human impact of homelessness up close, and these numbers help guide the partnerships and resources needed to keep our communities safe. Being part of the count allows our members to contribute directly to the data that drives real solutions.”

“Many individuals experiencing homelessness self-report some form of behavioral health challenge, whether it is a substance use disorder, a mental health condition, or both. The recent decline in unsheltered homelessness reflects the effectiveness of San Francisco's strategic response to the homelessness and behavioral health crisis," said Dan Tsai, DPH Director of Health. “From our coordinated street outreach teams to the ongoing expansion of residential treatment and care beds at the appropriate clinical level, we are making meaningful progress in meeting the complex needs of this vulnerable population.”

“The latest Point in Time results show the city is on the right track with the aim of providing services and getting people into more stable living situations,” said Public Works Director Carla Short. “The collaborative approach also has resulted in improved neighborhood conditions with less trash on the streets and better accessibility along the path of travel.”

“These numbers reflect coordinated work across city departments and a continued commitment to engage meaningfully with people experiencing homelessness,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, Department of Emergency Management (DEM) Executive Director. “Through a combination of targeted outreach, increased resources, and enhanced accountability, our city programs have produced a growing number of success stories that demonstrate real progress.”

As the city looks ahead to the full PIT Count results this summer, the initial results follow significant steps Mayor Lurie has taken to expand street outreach, shelter, and treatment; create the crisis stabilization and RESET centers; and integrate healthcare into homelessness services.

Street Outreach:

Mayor Lurie announced last month the next phase of street homeless outreach, consolidating the city’s outreach teams under DPH. That step builds on initial steps taken last year to integrate that work in a “team of teams” model under DEM.  

The reforms have improved street conditions and contributed to significant decline in unsheltered homelessness. Last year’s integration of siloed teams last year led to a 40% increase in shelter placements and 40% faster 311 response times under the neighborhood-based “team of teams” model.

822 Geary Crisis Stabilization Center and RESET Center:

Since opening, the crisis stabilization center and the RESET Center have connected people to ongoing care at rates significantly higher than sobering centers. Nearly 50% of clients admitted to 822 Geary were connected to ongoing care, while in the RESET Center’s first week serving clients, about 25% of the more than 140 people admitted accepted connections to treatment or recovery services—higher than the roughly 10% referral rate to treatment, recovery, and ongoing care typically seen at sobering centers in San Francisco.

To continue getting people in crisis off the street and officers back on patrol more quickly, the city is leveraging a tool developed by the Mayor’s Office of Innovation that streamlines the drop-off process and reduces administrative burden for law enforcement. The tool has cut officer drop-off times at the center from an average of six hours to approximately two minutes, saving hours of time and allowing officers to return to the beat more quickly.

Large Vehicle Program:  

Mayor Lurie’s large vehicle program is helping to address family homelessness, with more than 130 households moved into housing or shelter. The program is on track to place every permitted household into housing or shelter by the end of 2026.  

The number of vehicles on San Francisco streets has dropped by roughly 60 per month over the last three months as families move into safer, more stable housing. Both permitted and unpermitted vehicles continue to decline, with the total number of large vehicles on city streets down by more than 42% since the legislation passed in the summer of 2026.

Journey Home:  

Since Mayor Lurie reformed and expanded the Journey Home program in February, more than 100 people have reunited with loved ones outside San Francisco, with dozens reconnecting with family each month since the changes took effect in late January and the most in a three-month period since Journey Home’s program inception in 2022.