- Utah's 2026 point-in-time count shows a 1.6% decline in homelessness from 2025.
- Gov. Spencer Cox credits legislative investment and partnerships for the slight decrease.
- State leaders emphasize ongoing efforts to address homelessness through various initiatives.
SALT LAKE CITY — The number of people experiencing homelessness dipped slightly over the past year, according to the state's latest point-in-time count.
A little more than 4,500 Utahns were experiencing homelessness during the 2026 point-in-time count, down 1.6% from last year's count. While small, Utah leaders note that it marks the first year-over-year decrease since 2019, and may indicate plateauing after the state experienced an 18% surge in 2025.
"I am hopeful about the changes we are seeing in Utah. This year's reversal in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness on the streets of Utah is the result of sustained legislative investment, strong partnership across state and local governments and continued work from service providers, advocates and community stakeholders," Gov. Spencer Cox said in a statement Tuesday.
Making strides
The numbers come from this year's point-in-time count in January, which is an annual census of people experiencing homelessness. It includes a headcount of people living in shelters, transitional housing or in unsheltered situations. The latter includes people living in their vehicles and tents, or on the streets or in parks.
The state found that:
- The number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness across the state (945) dropped nearly 10% from 2025.
- The number of people experiencing chronic homelessness (1,151), defined as being unsheltered for at least one year or repeatedly over multiple years, also fell by almost 7%.
- The number of people living in shelters rose slightly by about 1%.
In a joint statement, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Kaysville, and Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said they are pleased to see Utah's homelessness moving in the "right direction" by declining overall, especially after last year's increase.
"We're working to make sure that progress holds," they said, pointing to recent changes in accountability, treatment and other potential homelessness solutions.
These steps include Salt Lake City's Project Connect, which has zeroed in on treating repeat offenders who primarily commit misdemeanors but aren't legally competent to stand trial or have limited functional capacity. Salt Lake police said many of the people had "serious" behavioral health or substance abuse issues, which also led to homelessness.
Utah launched a 100-day effort called Project Bridge in late April, which seeks to match people living in overflow shelters to organizations that can provide help for the next step in their recovery.
State leaders allocated approximately $45 million in the state's next budget toward programs that address accountability for high utilizers in the criminal justice system, emergency shelters, affordable housing and mental and behavioral health infrastructure, all of which seek to reduce homelessness in the state.
"Utahns deserve safe communities and a homeless response system that delivers real outcomes, and we will continue building on that progress," Adams and Schultz added.
An ongoing challenge
However, the number of people experiencing homelessness is still Utah's second-highest total over at least the past decade, per state data.
There were some additional increases within population subsets. For example, the number of Utahns aged 65 or older experiencing homelessness rose from 356 to 385, up 8% from last year.
This may require new infrastructure or ideas that address the situation, said Tyler Clancy, Utah's homeless coordinator.
"Homelessness is not a one-size-fits-all problem, and our response can't be either," he 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."
The Utah Office of Homeless Services says it plans to work with local leaders on potential solutions for people experiencing homelessness, so that they can move toward "long-term stability."
This year's findings come after a recent report shed doubt on the price and effectiveness of a potential 1,300-bed homeless service campus on the west side of Salt Lake City. Its authors, a pair of Utah-based independent external researchers, said there were no clear explanations for Utah's increasing homeless population, but rising housing costs and housing instability seemed to be a large factor.
Clancy didn't say whether the state was still pushing forward with the campus, but he said Utah is committed to addressing the situation.
"(The mission is to) make sure that whatever the services ... Utahns need on their pathway to recovery, we want to make sure that infrastructure is there," he told KSL at the time.
