One of the more enduring myths about California’s homeless population is that the vast majority have traveled here from other states, seeking generous government assistance and weather more hospitable to living outdoors. It’s a baseless claim perpetuated by both sides of the aisle — Gov. Gavin Newsom has made it repeatedly.

A recent UCSF survey hailed as the most comprehensive analysis to date of the state’s homeless population found that 90% were last housed in California, while 75% live in the same county as where they lost their housing.

And data provided to the state by local agencies that manage homeless dollars shows that between 2021 and 2023, 96% of people who accessed homeless services did so in a single jurisdiction. Most of the people who moved went to neighboring counties, which the state says suggests “homelessness within California is not a problem of migration.”

Local surveys also indicate people living on the streets are typically from the surrounding neighborhood. Example: 71% of San Francisco’s homeless people were housed somewhere in the city when they lost housing as of 2022; only 4% came from out of state. And 35% have lived in San Francisco for 10 or more years.