Santa Ana, Calif. (May 18, 2026) – Today, the County of Orange (County) and the Orange County Continuum of Care (CoC) announced the results of the Orange County 2026 Point In Time (PIT) Count. When compared to the 2024 PIT Count, Orange County reported a 13.7% decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness and, for the first time, more people were in shelter than unsheltered.
A total of 6,321 people experiencing homelessness were counted during the 2026 PIT Count. Of the 6,321 people counted, 3,256 people were in an emergency shelter or a transitional housing program and 3,065 people were unsheltered. In comparing 2026 to 2024, there was a 27% decrease in the unsheltered population along with a slight increase of 3% in the sheltered population.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that all CoC jurisdictions across the nation complete a biennial unsheltered count and an annual sheltered count of all persons experiencing homelessness in the community on a single point in time during the last ten days of January. The Orange County CoC covers the entire geographic area of Orange County, including all 34 cities and unincorporated areas…