Newsom’s Homelessness Claims Face Data Questions

Clear Facts

• Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed a 9% drop in unsheltered homelessness based on incomplete statewide data.
• Only 30 out of 44 regional planning bodies (CoCs) provided unsheltered data for Newsom’s report, leaving major areas uncounted.
• The Los Angeles CoC reported over 67,000 homeless people, but official count changes and outside reviews raised new doubts.

California Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted a reported decrease in homelessness during his final address, pointing to a 9% reduction in unsheltered numbers.

However, this figure relies on data from just 30 out of the state’s 44 Continuums of Care, notably excluding data from regions representing nearly half of California’s counties.

During his 2019 inauguration, Newsom pledged

“We face a gulf between the rich and everyone else – and it’s not just inequality of wealth, it’s inequality of opportunity. A homeless epidemic that should keep each and every one of us up at night,”

Continuums of Care (CoCs) are federal planning bodies responsible for gathering local homelessness data and distributing related funding.

Their annual Point-In-Time counts focus on visible homeless populations but often miss those in secluded areas or private shelters, leading to undercounting concerns.

Not all CoCs count unsheltered homeless every year, with biennial counts permitted by federal guidelines, which can delay or further limit current data.

In the most recent September 2025 report, only 30 CoCs submitted unsheltered data, showing a reported 4.3% statewide decline; 14 CoCs, including major urban areas, will use prior year data for their unsheltered counts.

Los Angeles, responsible for the nation’s largest homeless population, originally reported 67,918 homeless people, including 23,503 sheltered and about 44,413 unsheltered.

After HUD review, updates lowered the sheltered count by 141 but increased the unsheltered count by 37, changing the revised total to 67,777.

The accuracy of these Point-In-Time counts is disputed, with outside groups like RAND Corporation criticizing official estimates and conducting their own surveys using professional field teams.

Such independent reviews point to potential undercounting and inconsistent numbers, especially in areas with homeless populations living in secluded or difficult-to-access locations.

Governor Newsom’s office did not provide a response when contacted for comment on these data discrepancies.

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