Delayed HUD Report Shows Nevada Homelessness Declined Slightly in January 2025 Count

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its annual report on homelessness on May 29 after a delay of about five months, according to the Nevada Current. The report’s figures are based on a snapshot of one night in January 2025. The two sources give different years for the release: the Nevada Current item is dated May 29, 2025, while the Barrio Zona item is dated May 29, 2026. Both describe the same report.

The Nevada Current reported that 30 in every 10,000 people in Nevada were experiencing homelessness. The state identified 9,905 individuals experiencing homelessness, a 2% decline from the previous year’s count of 10,106. Nearly half of those counted in Nevada were unsheltered. Homelessness among families with children fell from 1,700 to 1,453 in the state. Travis Sandefur, director of Washoe County’s Housing and Homeless Services Division, described the numbers as staggering.

Nationally, HUD reported approximately 746,000 people experiencing homelessness, a 3% decrease from the previous year, according to the Nevada Current. The Barrio Zona report gave a slightly more precise estimate of 745,652 people living on the street or in temporary shelters for one night in January 2025. It described the national decline of about 3% as the first national decrease in homelessness since 2016, following several consecutive years of increases.

The Barrio Zona report also said the number of families with children experiencing homelessness declined after strong increases in recent years. The number of people in temporary shelters and those sleeping outdoors also decreased. Even so, around 266,000 people continued to live without any shelter during the national count. Caring for people who are unsheltered is a matter of defending those who have the least protection (Psalm 82:3).

The Barrio Zona report said the number of homeless military veterans saw a slight decrease. It credited that change partly to federal housing and support programs.