Homelessness drops 20% in Oakland, marking the first decline in years

Oakland’s homeless population decreased by 20% over the past two years, based on a point-in-time count conducted every two years to qualify for federal funding. The count estimates 4,410 unhoused people in Oakland, down from a 2024 peak of 5,485. Alameda County also saw a 13% decrease, and a larger share of people are living in shelter rather than on the streets. The city attributes the shift to expanded supportive housing, including apartments funded through Measure U and the state Homekey program. Oakland has 1,200 supportive housing units, with another 1,000 planned. Encampment sweeps increased, while the number of encampments grew due to geographic shifts into smaller camps. Homelessness prevention provided financial and legal aid to more than 1,000 households in 2025.

"Oakland has an estimated 4,410 homeless people, per the count. This is a decrease from the 2024 peak of 5,485 people. Oakland is still home to over half of the 8,201 unhoused residents in Alameda County. The county also saw a decrease of 13% in its overall homeless population between 2024 and 2026. And a larger share of the population is living in shelter (rather than on the streets) compared to the last count."

"Cupid Alexander, the head of Oakland's new homelessness office, attributed the shift to the increase in supportive housing options. Using funding from 2022's Measure U and the state's Homekey program, the city has opened a number of apartments for formerly homeless people in recent years. Oakland now has 1,200 of these housing units and another 1,000 coming, said Lee."

"The city also ramped up encampment sweeps in the past year. At the same time, the number of encampments actually grew during this period, according to the Office of Homelessness Solutions. Alexander said that the rise in homeless camps is due to "geographic shifts" - large encampments scattering into a few smaller camps with the people who didn't move into shelter when the city shut them down."

"Lee also touted Oakland's homelessness prevention work, which in 2025 gave financial and legal aid to more than 1,000 households dealing with instability. Virtually all of those households said"

Read at The Oaklandside