Wisconsin's Homeless Population Has Been Rising, But Does Better Addressing the Issue Compared to Neighboring States

Thursday, August 27th, 2026 -- 10:00 AM

(Elissa Eaton, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin’s homeless population has been rising in recent years, but the state continues to outperform its Midwest neighbors in addressing homelessness, according to Elissa Eaton with the Wisconsin Public Radio.

According to a recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report, the state’s homeless population increased to 5,495 this year, a 4.8 percent increase over 2025. It was the fifth consecutive year of increases after years of decline.

The report said factors including rising housing costs, worsening economic conditions and the expiration of pandemic-era supports may be behind the rise. Don Cramer, a researcher with the Policy Forum, said there is uncertainty whether there will be programming available to aid the increasing number of people who are struggling to keep their homes due to rising costs.

“The fear is that more difficult economic conditions will cause more people to have housing insecurity, and that the homeless population will rise for that reason,” he said. But the report also found that Wisconsin’s homeless population trends are far better than its Midwest neighbors and the nation as a whole.

Since 2015, the number of homeless people in Wisconsin has fallen by 13.4 percent, while the overall homeless population of the United States has climbed by 32 percent. In the Midwest, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana have also had large increases in their unhoused population, while Michigan has fallen by 2.7 percent.

Wisconsin also has the lowest rate of homelessness among its neighbors, with 8.8 unhoused persons for every 10,000 state residents. And Milwaukee County has the lowest rate of homelessness among urban areas in the Midwest at 10.5 percent per 10,000 residents, compared to a 21.6 percent national average for similar urban areas.

The Policy Forum report said the previous decline in homelessness in Wisconsin was likely fueled by a number of factors, including the roll out of housing first programs. The housing first approach prioritizes providing homes to people before addressing other issues by providing them with mental health care or addiction treatment programs.

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