Officials believe San Diego is well positioned as cities compete for dwindling state homeless dollars

Gov. Gavin Newsom warned recently that cities and counties could lose state funds targeted at addressing homelessness if they don’t show real progress in getting people off the streets.

In San Diego, local officials say they’re finally starting to see that progress.

The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reported a roughly 7% drop in homelessness countywide in last year’s point-in-time count, from about 10,605 people in 2024 to about 9,905 in 2025.

In the city of San Diego, homelessness — sheltered and unsheltered — dropped by 14%.

In his recent State of the City address, Mayor Todd Gloria pointed to the reduction as proof that the city’s approach to homelessness is working.

That progress puts the San Diego region in a relatively strong position as the state tightens the rules around Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention funding, known as HHAP — one of the largest sources of state money for homelessness programs — and as other funding sources shri...