Boston’s homeless population is falling. Some leaders question if data reflects genuine improvement.
Boston’s homeless population fell to its lowest level in more than a decade this year, according to the city’s annual census. But some leaders who work with unhoused populations questioned how much of the new data reflects genuine improvements, instead of changes in the shelter system.
Results from Boston’s 2026 Point-in-Time Count, released Tuesday, found that 3,674 people experienced homelessness on the night of the census in January — a 33 percent decline from the same time last year, according to the Mayor’s Office of Housing. Since 2021, the city has reported a 19 percent reduction in overall homelessness, including a 28 percent drop in veteran homelessness.
The census, which takes place nationally, is required by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. It’s also part of Boston’s annual effort to assess how to allocate resources, including federal funding, for people experiencing homelessness…
Jim O’Connell, president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, said he has not noticed fewer homeless families among his shelters and clinics. But he has noted a decline in homeless veterans sleeping in the streets, a result of the End Veteran Homelessness campaign, which provided $20 million in federal pandemic relief funds for housing infrastructure for veterans across the state.
He believes the city’s long-standing housing-first approach, which prioritizes moving people into permanent housing before requiring treatment for addiction or mental illness, has produced measurable gains among veterans and single adults, even as the strategy has drawn criticism from President Trump.
“The City of Boston is correct in saying they’ve done a lot under Mayor Walsh and continue under Mayor Wu, and we might be seeing the fruits of the hard work and coordinated entry system they have. I have no doubt,” he said.
