HUD’s latest release put the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January at 698,425. The agency reported a decline from the prior year. That is welcome news, but a one-night count cannot tell taxpayers which programs made the difference.
Local governments should report how many people move into stable housing, how many return to shelters, and whether people who need treatment can actually get it. A city can clear an encampment and still have people sleeping outdoors a few blocks away. It can also place someone in housing without addressing why that person keeps losing it.
The conservative case for accountability starts with those outcomes. Fund programs that can show people are better off months later, and ask harder questions of programs that measure success by how much they spend.