The number of Californians who are “very concerned” about homelessness has plummeted below 30% over the last six years. The percentage of Bay Area residents who are “very concerned” about the presence of homeless people in their community has dropped from 63% in 2019 to 28% in 2025, accor ding to annual surveys conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California. Homelessness still remains a top concern in the Bay Area, with 76% of respondents expressing they were either “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned.” Only 24% of residents responded with “not too concerned” or “not at all concerned” about homeless people. Lauren Mora, a Public Policy Institute of California survey analyst, said the drop in people being very concerned has to do with their perception of how the state and their local governments are handling homelessness. But in today’s economic climate, people are also more focused on their personal lives. “I would say it’s probably just like a mix of those two things,” Mora told San Jose Spotlight. “It’s not only just the impact of the state and local programs, but also that people are way more concerned about their own situation. We’ve asked a lot lately about people’s personal finances and economic outlook overall, and it’s pretty gloomy.” Cost of living and the economy is the top concern facing the state, 32% of people surveyed said. The second largest concern is housing costs and availability, with 14% saying it’s the top concern. Threats to democracy and problems with elected officials are tied for third and fourth place, with 11% saying it’s the top concern. Only 6% of statewide residents say homelessness is the top concern for California, compared to 2020 when 20% of residents said it was the top concern. Despite a lessening concern, homelessness in the state reached record highs in 2024, the latest data available. California had 187,084 homeless people, accounting for nearly 30% of the U.S. homeless population according to a 2024 point-in-time count. Homelessness in Santa Clara County is at an all-time high in 2025, with more than 10,700 homeless residents. San Jose has 6,503 homeless residents, up 237 people from a 2023 point-in-time count — though its unsheltered population has dropped to about 60%, or 3,959 people. In 2022, nearly 5,000 were unsheltered and only 1,675 people were sheltered. The city has been cracking down on homeless encampments, installing new no-encampment zones, instituting temporary RV parking bans and increasing its shelter capacity. While homelessness remains a top concern for residents like DeAnna McNeal Mirzadegan, who sits on the board of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, she also sees progress in how the city has handled encampments. “There are a lot of people that have hope with Mayor (Matt) Mahan’s policies, and even (Gov.) Gavin Newsom has changed his policies on encampments,” Mirzadegan told San Jose Spotlight. “A lot of the residents were very, very concerned when there were encampments growing everywhere around us, and it seemed to be very acceptable. Now they’re trying different strategies, and I think that’s definitely what we needed.” Mahan initiated a policy earlier this year to arrest homeless people who refuse multiple offers of shelter, with the goal to connect them to treatment. Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2024 it’s not unconstitutional for cities to cite homeless people for camping on public property, Newsom has been cracking down on encampments. Last year, Newsom called for state agencies to clear homeless people from public land. This year, he assembled a new task force to clear encampments across state property. Though homelessness may be less visible due to aggressive tactics to clear encampments, Kama Fletcher, development director for homeless nonprofit Neighborhood Hands, said the issue is no less urgent — and clearing encampments enacts trauma on homeless residents. “We see it as the crisis,” Fletcher told San Jose Spotlight. “Pulling support back is not going to make it better.” San Jose cleared its largest homeless encampment at Columbus Park this summer where about 370 people lived in RVs and tents. Some moved into motels the city recently converted into homeless shelters, but Fletcher said the process was haphazard and not well thought out. When some people tried to retrieve their belongings and trailers from the sweep, she said they found out it had been destroyed. “I don’t think people were well communicated with,” Fletcher said. “It was very unfortunate and very sad and very dehumanizing the way those sweeps took place.” Elizabeth Funk, CEO of DignityMoves which builds tiny homes for homeless people, said homelessness is still top of mind for Californians based on other data. That includes a Politico and UC Berkeley poll which shows homelessness is the most urgent issue facing the state. However, Funk said people tend to view homelessness as less of an issue if it’s not as visible. “That’s always been the argument against what we do, which is, if we succeed and get everybody indoors… people think we’re done and they won’t have the energy to solve the problem. Then people just end up staying in interim housing,” Funk told San Jose Spotlight. “Now, I respectfully and fiercely believe that that is not a reason to leave them on the streets to keep political pressure. Because we really believe that people shouldn’t be waiting on the streets, even if the visibility goes away.” Editor’s note: This story was originally published by San Jose Spotlight. ...read more read less