San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced preliminary results from San Francisco’s 2026 Point-in-Time homelessness count, presenting it as proof that the city’s homelessness and drug use policies are making measurable progress.
In his speech at Hope House, a sober homeless shelter and recovery-focused transitional housing program run by the Salvation Army that opened in 2025 as part of his “Breaking the Cycle” initiative, Lurie noted initial figures claiming that unsheltered homelessness is reportedly at its lowest level in 15 years, with nearly 1,000 fewer people sleeping on the streets compared to 2024, sheltered homelessness is down 22% since 2024, and that tent encampments are down 85%.
“It’s the result of the hard-working people behind me and so many others who are working together to address the issues our residents care about….while the data is preliminary, the takeaway is clear: more people are coming inside to get shelter and treatment, and we’re moving in the right direction,” Lurie told reporters at the Tuesday morning press conference.
“I’m so grateful because of the mayor’s initiative that allowed places like Hope House to open. I need a sober environment, a supportive environment, for me to get and stay sober.” – Tyrone Lewis
More complete data from the count should be ready this summer.
Lurie and other officials said the figures are preliminary but reflect more people entering shelters and treatment programs. He attributed the changes to a more aggressive and coordinated approach to homelessness, drug use, and behavioral health, including the “Breaking the Cycle” plan, the fentanyl emergency ordinance, integration of outreach teams across participating departments, new approaches highlighting recovery such as ceasing distribution of fentanyl smoking supplies without treatment connections, and opening new facilities such as Hope House and the RESET Center.
Lurie conceded that ongoing challenges continued to exist, including the city’s structural budget deficit, which could grow to $1 billion without action, and continued uncertainty about federal funding. He also noted that street conditions are still a problem.
“I saw this morning on McCoppin, or when I talked to residents in the Mission, or in Hayes Valley, they tell me their streets are still not clean, and I agree. I’m still frustrated. Every day. But I’m also as motivated as I’ve ever been,” the mayor told reporters.
That said, Lurie closed by arguing that public confidence in San Francisco is improving, citing polling showing that 65% of residents now believe the city is on the right track, up from 22% two years earlier.
Also speaking at the press conference was Tyrone Lewis, a resident at Hope House, who described his struggle with addiction and homelessness for 15 years before entering recovery. He credited structured sober housing and the city’s new programs with helping him stabilize his life.
“I made a lot of excuses, but I was ready for the change and ready to break the cycle of addiction and homelessness,” Lewis said. “I’m so grateful, because of the mayor’s initiative that allowed places like Hope House to open. I need a sober environment, a supportive environment, for me to get and stay sober.”
New methodology for count
The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is a federally mandated, biennial census conducted in January to assess both sheltered and unsheltered individuals, in order to aid funding and policy decisions. This year, San Francisco altered the methodology of the count, shifting from a nighttime to early morning survey, and using trained city staff rather than volunteers.
“We learned from a RAND Corporation study that actually evaluated the challenges that other jurisdictions like Los Angeles had in previous counts, and we took that input and what we’ve seen from counties across the country. We started the count very early in the morning to make sure that we could actually see everyone, and engage with them,” said Kunal Modi, Mayor Lurie’s homelessness policy chief, in answering questions from reporters. “A big difference was previous counts had been a visual count, in which case a lot of outreach workers were making assumptions or potentially double counting individuals. We actually engaged with folks… so we feel very positive about the integrity of the count and the ability for us to get really clean data to help us understand what’s going on.”
Lurie was expected to address the Board of Supervisors as part of regular policy discussions this afternoon. Supervisors are expected to approve legislation that allow for the funding of recovery-based supportive housing. The bill has received pushback from homeless advocacy and other groups.
