LOS ANGELES (CNS) - While homelessness across the United States increased by a dramatic 18% in 2024 compared to a year earlier, Los Angeles was among a handful of cities bucking the national trend -- with a 5% drop in unsheltered homelessness over the same period, the first such drop in seven years, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Friday.

HUD's 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report: Part 1: Point-in- Time Estimates -- an annual snapshot of the number of people in shelters, temporary housing or unsheltered settings -- found more than 770,000 people nationwide were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024, an 18% increase from 2023.

According to HUD, the nationwide increase in homelessness in 2024 was tied to migration, displacement by natural disasters such as the Maui fire, and rising costs of housing.

However, Los Angeles was among jurisdictions, including as Dallas and Chester County, Pennsylvania, marked by a decrease in people experiencing homelessness, HUD data found.

Struggling with a high-cost rental market, Los Angeles increased the availability of housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, combining federal, state, county and city funds, according to the federal agency.

"This crisis has been decades in the making, but after years of increases, we've turned the corner with the first decrease in street homelessness in years, by acting with innovative solutions that have resulted in thousands more people inside and more housing being built throughout the city," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.

"There's still more work to do and this urgent work will continue in 2025."

The Los Angeles region, meanwhile, remained at the top continuums of care in California with people experiencing homelessness -- an overall 71,201 homeless individuals, consisting of both sheltered and unsheltered, according to HUD data.

Moreover, California, the state with the country's highest population, also led the U.S. in the number of homeless people, followed by New York, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts.

The city and county of San Diego stood at 10,605, followed by San Jose/Santa Clara at 10,394; Oakland, Berkeley/Alameda County at 9,450; San Francisco at 8,323; and Santa Ana, Anaheim/Orange County at 7,322. Nationwide, family homelessness increased by 39% compared to 2023.

The homelessness count was done during a period of significant increases in rental costs, as a result of the pandemic and nearly decades of under-building of housing, HUD said.

The Maui fire, among other natural disasters, led to an increase in homelessness. In Hawaii, more than 5,200 people were sleeping in disaster emergency shelters on the night of the count.

Meanwhile, veterans experiencing homelessness decreased nearly 8% nationwide from 35,574 in 2023 to 32,882 in 2024, according to HUD's data. The figure for unsheltered veterans dropped nearly 11% -- from 15,507 in 2023 to 13,851 in 2024.

In the L.A. region, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's 2024 homelessness count showed a 22.9% decrease in veteran homelessness.

Bass' office cited several initiatives -- in partnership with federal leaders -- that led to this decline, such as boosting participation in a veteran housing voucher program, HUD-VASH and making changes policy changes regarding veterans' benefits.

Bill Handel