The Bay Area's homeless population grew 6% to an estimated 38,891 people in 2024, according to new federal data, extending a decade-long surge fueled by the housing affordability crisis, and drug and mental health challenges among those living on the region's streets. In California, homelessness rose 3% to more than 187,000, while the U.S. homeless population spiked 18% to more than 770,000 from 2023 to 2024. All three totals are record highs. Gov. Gavin Newsom credited the state's slower rise last year to the unprecedented billions of dollars it has sent to cities and counties to fund homelessness programs. "Forty states saw larger increases than California," Newsom said at a news conference in Oakland last month. "We're making progress, but we have to continue to do more."