TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness (TPCH) released its 2026 Point‑in‑Time (PIT) Count today, reporting that 2,130 people were experiencing homelessness in Pima County on the night of January 27, 2026 — roughly a 4% decrease from 2025. The count, carried out with the help of nearly 400 community volunteers, provides a snapshot of both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness across the region and is an estimate rather than a full census.
For the first time since 2022, TPCH found a drop in sheltered homelessness. However, that decline comes amid a substantial reduction in available shelter capacity: the 2026 Housing Inventory Count (HIC) identified 881 shelter beds, a loss of nearly 200 beds compared with 2025. TPCH attributes much of that reduction to decreased funding from the Arizona Department of Housing, which had previously supported 117 emergency shelter beds through hotel vouchers. Some beds were also temporarily out of service for renovations; officials said those are expected to return later this year. With 861 people counted as staying in shelter, utilization is extremely high and little excess capacity remains.
TPCH highlighted several encouraging signs, including relatively stable overall PIT totals since 2022 and declines in youth homelessness (ages 18–24). The 2026 report also recorded decreases among people reporting serious mental illness, substance use disorder, adult survivors of domestic violence, and notably a nearly 53% drop among adults living with HIV/AIDS. TPCH cautioned that additional data will be needed to determine whether these represent sustained trends.
Despite progress, the report underscored persistent challenges, including pronounced racial disparities in who is affected by homelessness and the continued prevalence of unsheltered living, with people exposed to extreme weather, violence and instability. TPCH said further analysis of disparities from coordinated entry through housing placement is underway and expected later in 2026.
TPCH called the PIT Count a call to action, urging the community to invest in deeply affordable and supportive housing, expand homelessness prevention, and address root causes such as behavioral health needs and economic instability. The organization emphasized the importance of centering people with lived experience in planning and response.
