- The number of homeless Utahns fell to 4,512 from the record-breaking 4,584 recorded in 2025, according to the annual Point in Time Count.
- Chronic homelessness fell by 6.7% and unsheltered homelessness by 9.7% compared to 2025.
- The governor, legislative leaders and Salt Lake City mayor signaled unity on the state’s approach.
The size of Utah’s homeless population shrunk in 2026 after reaching record levels in 2025, breaking a yearslong trend that has mobilized leaders across partisan and municipal lines to rethink their approach to homeless services.
The annual Point-in-Time Count, conducted on a single night in January, recorded 4,512 homeless Utahns. This is down 1.6% from the record-breaking 4,584 recorded last year after an 18% increase between 2024 and 2025.
This followed a 33% increase nationwide under President Joe Biden. Since President Donald Trump entered office, the federal government has signaled a shift away from Biden’s “housing first” funding model — a shift led by Utah.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has made homelessness a top priority in his budget recommendations in recent years, urging lawmakers to invest in targeted programs that address the issues underlying homelessness.
Tyler Clancy, Cox’s new homelessness coordinator, has said that for the first time in years, the Legislature and Salt Lake County are pulling in the same direction. Cox is hopeful the pivot they spearheaded will make a difference.
“The progress we are seeing today would not be possible without policymakers willing to invest in solutions, local leaders committed to implementation and community partners working together every day,” Cox said.
Under Cox, the Office of Homeless Services has concluded homelessness is not solved by the “housing first” strategy Utah pioneered from 2005-2015. Services without strict standards might make the problem even worse.
After spending hundreds of millions on resource centers, the number of individuals who were chronically homeless — or homeless for at least a year with mental illness or substance use disorder — hit a new peak in 2025.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall contrasted the slight decreased measured in 2026 with the huge jump experienced in 2025. She credited the change to greater collaboration in between the state, city and county.
“(It) shows that coordinated efforts across all levels of government are making a difference,” Mendenhall said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing this work with our partners at the State and County level.”
What policies have changed?
Over the past year, the Legislature has cracked down on drug use in shelters and public spaces, while helping providers to connect homeless individuals directly with treatment programs. It appears to be working.
Chronic homelessness fell to 1,151, a 6.7% decrease from the all-time high of 1,233 recorded a year earlier. The population of those sleeping unsheltered on the streets fell by even more — from 1,046 to 945, a 9.7% reduction.
“This progress comes from focusing on accountability, treatment and solutions that produce measurable results when communities come together,” Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz said in a statement.
The leaders promised to build on this momentum with the $45.6 million approved by lawmakers this year to support Cox’s focus on addressing criminal recidivism, mental health and shelter space for homeless populations.
New data published by the Utah Office of Homeless Services last week found that 77% of the 1,021 individuals arrested four or more times by the Salt Lake City Police Department between April 2024 to April 2025 were homeless.
These “high utilizers” represent the top 25% of most-arrested individuals, costing the state $51 million a year to house, treat and process. More than $16 million came from those with over 11 arrests — 84% of whom were homeless.
Under Clancy, the 29-year-old former state lawmaker, the office has launched new initiatives to drive individuals directly from shelters to long-term treatment facilities and to set aside dedicated beds for high utilizers.
Clancy framed these policies as a test case for Cox’s 1,300-bed central chronic homelessness campus, which was put on pause amid uncertainty over the federal grant process and the proposed location north of Salt Lake City.
“Homelessness is not a one-size-fits-all problem, and our response can’t be either,” Clancy said. “An effective, accountable system meets people where they are and gives them the individualized support they need to exit homelessness and build lasting stability.”
Utah’s new count does have some worrying trends: the number of homeless Utahns over 64 increased from 356 to 385. Utah’s homelessness rate of 13 per 10,000 people remains far below the national rate of 23 per 10,000.
The national rate is driven by California, where its nearly 190,000 homeless individuals make up one quarter of the nation’s homeless population, despite the state spending upward of $30 billion on the problem over the past five years.