CA Unsheltered Homelessness Drops 6.5% as AB 2251 Sets College Rules

New statewide data and legislation released Monday highlighted two major socioeconomic shifts across California: the first recorded decline in unsheltered homelessness in over 10 years and a statutory mandate requiring colleges to disclose accurate student living costs by fall 2027.

California Unsheltered Homelessness Drops 6.5% in Preliminary 2026 Count

According to KALW 91.7 and CalMatters reporter Marisa Kendall, preliminary local data from the federal Point-in-Time (PIT) count conducted in January 2026 show that California's unsheltered homeless population—residents sleeping in tents, vehicles, or outdoors—fell 6.5% compared with January 2025:

• Overall Statewide Count Down Over 3% to 175,800: Including people staying in shelters, California's overall homeless population declined by a little more than 3% to approximately 175,800 people, marking the first statewide drop in unsheltered homelessness in more than a decade after years of 15% to 20% multi-year increases.
• Policy Debate Over Shelter Funding vs. Sweeps: Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to billions of dollars in state housing, shelter, and behavioral health investments as the driver of the 6.5% reduction, while homelessness advocates noted that intensified municipal encampment sweeps—following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 Grants Pass ruling and Newsom's executive order—can disperse unhoused residents during early-morning January counts without permanently housing them.

AB 2251 Requires California Colleges to Publish True Living Costs by Fall 2027

In higher education, newly signed Assembly Bill 2251 will require California colleges and universities to post clear cost-of-attendance methodologies and financial aid appeal procedures on their websites starting in the fall 2027 term, according to The Almanac:

• Closing $10,000 Cost Underestimates: Co-authored by Assemblymembers Celeste Rodriguez (D-San Fernando) and Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), AB 2251 responds to a 2025 Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) study that found 83% of California campuses failed to explain how they calculate non-tuition living expenses and more than 50% underestimated local housing, food, transportation, and textbook costs—sometimes by more than $10,000 per year.
• Student Aid Appeals & Cal Grants: Because federal loans, Pell Grants, and state Cal Grants are capped by a campus's official cost-of-attendance figure, low estimates can restrict student aid packages. The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) estimated that if AB 2251 leads 3% to 5% more students to file successful cost-of-attendance appeals, qualifying students could receive an additional $805,000 to $2.3 million in Cal Grant funding.