LGBTQ+ Youth Encounter Alarming Disparity in Homelessness Rates

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LGBTQ+ youth are significantly more likely than their cisgender-heterosexual peers to experience homelessness at some point in their lifetime. Some queer youth may leave home or be kicked out due to their parents’ reaction to them coming out. Most LGBTQ+ youth, however, become homeless due, not to the immediate aftermath of coming out, but to fraying familial relationships over time. Because of these declining relationships, when they face financial hardships in their young adulthood, they can’t count on their family to support them. Many queer youth and young adults experiencing homelessness have been in the foster care system at some point where they experienced unsafe and non-affirming atmospheres due to their queerness.

 

(Photo by Brett Sayles)

LGBTQ+ Youth Face Disproportionate Homelessness Rates Compared to Cisgender-Heterosexual Peers

  • 4.2 million minors experience homelessness each year. 700,000 of them are unaccompanied by family members.
  • Up to 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+
  • 40%-80% of homeless LGBTQ+ youth experiences suicidal ideation in the last year
  • 23%-67% of homeless LGBTQ+ youth have made at least one suicide attempt
  • Youth who are black and LGBTQ+ reported the highest rates of homelessness (16%)
  • 8.8%  of LGBTQ+ youth who had experienced homelessness reported leaving home due to mistreatment or fear of mistreatment due to LGBTQ+ identity
  • 14% of LGBTQ+ youth who had experienced homelessness reported being kicked out
  • 5.6% of LGBTQ+ youth who had experienced homelessness reported being kicked out due to their LGBTQ+ identity
  • Most LGBTQ+ youth become homeless due to familial instability and frying relationships over time
  • Youth may be less willing to receive help from a system (shelter, foster care) depending on if they feel the space is safe and affirming for their LGBTQ+ identity. Homophobia and service workers’ lack of queer cultural competence prevent adults from being able to recognize discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth.

(Report Created by Macey Gwynn)

Actions to support LGBTQ+ youth and young adults should include:

  • Improving LGBTQ+ cultural competency at shelters and in the foster care system
  • Creating more programs for children aging out of foster care systems
  • Facilitate strong anti-discrimination and anti-bullying programs in schools
  • Creating school programs to support LGBTQ+ youth and help them stay connected to trustworthy adults
  • Increase funds for low-barrier housing programs

To address this issue, various organizations and initiatives work to provide support, resources, and safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. These efforts aim to combat the root causes of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and offer them the necessary assistance and opportunities for stable housing.

(Report Created by Macey Gwynn)

To learn more about the issue of LGBTQ youth homelessness, please click the following link to download the full report: LGBTQ+ Individuals Experiencing Homelessness

 

About the Author:

Macey Gwynn (she/her)
Macey is a summer intern for the Bring America Home NOW Campaign. She’s a sociology major at BYU in Provo, UT and is involved with queer organizations on and off campus. She’s passionate about non-profit work and advocating for policy that builds better infrastructure and support for individuals.

 

The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) celebrates the Supreme Court decision earlier this week that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Young people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or gender nonconforming, are 120% times more likely to experience homelessness than their cisgender and straight peers. This disparity is caused by mistreatment by family as well as institutions, and discrimination not just in employment, but also in access to housing, health care and education. 

“[This] ruling by the Supreme Court is a monumental victory for LGBTQ people across the United States. Discrimination in employment is a critical barrier to safe and secure housing for LGBTQ youth and adults,” says Gregory Lewis, CEO and Executive Director of True Colors United. “Discrimination against someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity is sex discrimination. This ruling makes clear that efforts underway at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to undercut protections for transgender people experiencing homelessness should not be allowed to continue under the law.”

NCH has long supported inclusive access for LGBTQ people to shelter and other emergency services. In 2003, along with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, we authored a guide for how shelters can make their agencies safe for people who identify as transgender. A ground-breaking survey of transgender Americans in 2015 found strong economic disparities for transgender people. Nearly one in three, (29%) of respondents were living in poverty versus 14% of the general population, and 30% reported having experienced homelessness at some point in their lifetime. As recently as 2016, HUD itself published guidance for shelters requiring that transgender residents are accepted to single-sex shelters based on their gender identity, without regard for what may appear on someone’s state identification. 

But after insensitive and discriminatory comments about transgender people made by Secretary Ben Carson, HUD has shown intention to roll back the 2016 guidance for shelters. A proposed rule will likely be published in the coming weeks that would allow single-sex shelters to judge gender by biology, and not by someone’s self identity.  

According to the Transgender Law Center, “This situation is particularly dangerous for transgender women who are inappropriately placed in men’s shelters where they often subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment and abuse, including sexual assault. While some transgender people will run the high risk of facing harassment and violence in a shelter that doesn’t match their gender identity just so that they can be housed for the night, others in this situation will simply forgo shelter and sleep on street.”

NCH firmly rejects any attempt to deny safe access to shelter or other resources for transgender and gender nonconforming people, especially transgender people of color, who disproportionately experience housing instability, discrimination and violence.

For more visit:
Info on Black Trans Advocacy Organizations
Lambda Legal
True Colors Fund

 

On January 27, 2015, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) to expand programs for vulnerable youth who are homeless and on their own. The National Coalition for the Homeless strongly endorses this legislation.

This bill would reauthorize and expand the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, a law that expired in the last Congress. The new bill, titled the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA), will continue programs for unaccompanied homeless youth with increased funding for services such as transitional housing and street outreach. Expansion of RHYTPA also ensures LGBTQ youth are granted access to services free of discrimination. It also expands support for survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

The National Coalition applauds the work of Senators Collins, Leahy, Ayotte, and Booker on this important piece of legislation. We urge Congress to pass this legislation without delay.

The Real Meaning of PRIDE by Frank McAlpin

Homeless Youth are OUR Youth
 
As we, in Los Angeles prepare for one of the largest and most spectacular Gay Pride Parades in the nation there is much to be proud of. We are experiencing unprecedented progress in the LGBT rights movement. From the legalization of same-sex marriage across the country, to the acceptance of openly gay professional athletes, to greater visibility and inclusion of LGBT folks in media and politics. Yes, there is much to celebrate! 
 
Yet with all this GAY excitement and celebration we can’t overlook the hundreds of young people sleeping on the streets of Los Angeles every night. It is estimated that in the US a half a million youth are homeless, about 40 percent of these youth identify as LGBTQ. And it is believed that Los Angeles is home to the most young people in country experiencing homelessness. 
 
There are numerous reasons as to why youth become homeless such as: abuse, neglect, poverty and homophobia. Often times LGBTQ youth are not physically or emotionally safe in their homes and communities, due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. They leave home in search of a more affirming and supportive space to be who they are. 
 
For whatever reason youth become homeless, their daily reality is almost impossible to imagine. It is a reality of constant hunger and exhaustion. Of violence and exploitation. Of rejection and stigma. For many homeless youth each day is just about survival. The realities that homeless youth experience 
impact every facet of their life, including employment prospects, education and physical and mental health. 
 
When trying to imagine these realities I can’t help but think, what kind of community allows young people, some already marginalized because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression to be homeless? To have no safe and supportive space to live and grow into the beautiful individuals they are? 
 
Our collective acceptance of youth homelessness in OUR community is not something we can be proud of. It is an injustice so horrific it diminishes our entire community. And its existence overshadows the very equality the LGBT rights movement is achieving today. 
 
These homeless youth, many of whom identify as LGBTQ, are our youth. We, as an LGBT community and more broadly as a nation, must care for these youth. We must recognize them. Talk with them. Fight for them. For these young people represent all that is beautiful and possible in our community. They are our 
future. 
 
Youth experiencing homelessness, LGBT or not, want the same things we all want. To be safe, respected, supported and loved. And isn’t that what Pride is really all about? 
 
So as we gather in West Hollywood this June to throw glitter and celebrate our Pride, let us also commit to ending youth homelessness. Let us ensure that all homeless youth feel safe, respected, supported and loved. And that we all come to know the true meaning of PRIDE. 
 
Frank McAlpin, social worker and homeless youth advocate 
@FrankMcTalk

Through being a member of NCH, find out how you can help LGBTQ youth deal with the risk of homelessness. Here is some insight from our summer intern, Meghana Sthanam.

This summer, I am fortunate to be able to advocate for a problem I am truly passionate about: the disproportionately large number of LGBT individuals facing homelessness everyday. I’m originally from Birmingham, Alabama, where, almost unsurprisingly, you find a sizable population of LGBT youth without consistent housing. Most live with friends or stay at clubs, hoping to find a bed for the night by whatever means. Although I recognized the problem, after joining NCH, I realized this is a problem that plagues the entire country. In the general population, 3-5% of people self-identify as LGTBQ. Furthermore, studies have shown that the homeless LGBTQ youth population in theU.S.can be as high as 40%, almost half of the entire homeless population. It’s easy to see that young LGBTQ individuals inherently face greater risks of homelessness and discrimination simply by identifying themselves as a different sexual orientation or gender identity. I believe this issue deserves as much attention as other LGBTQ issues, such as gay marriage and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; we cannot continue with this ‘out of sight, out of mind’ thinking that has pervaded our culture.

There are so many ways our members can help. For those involved with shelters, whether an employee or shelter resident, using positive language to create a safe haven for LGBTQ individuals is essential.  By simply avoiding derogatory thoughts and actions, you can make a person feel more welcome, especially when that person is coming from a climate in which acceptance is lacking. For our youth members still in school: be a friend! The numbers show that an extremely high percentage of homeless LGBTQ have experienced harassment and abuse within their home and school. Thus, reaching out a friendly hand can make a huge difference in someone’s life. For individuals working with law enforcement, LGBTQ youth compose 13-15% of those currently in the juvenile justice system, often because of the school-to-prison pipeline, abandonment by their family or victimization in their schools. Lastly, to all our members: please continue to be an advocate!