Youth Homelessness and Queer Identity

In June we celebrate Pride Month, but at HYC we think about our LGBTQ+ youth throughout the entire year. A significant number of the youth we serve identify as LGBTQ+, and we strive to provide appropriate resources and support to best empower these youth. We provide individualized case management and planning for the future, and we recognize that these youth have unique challenges that are not experienced by our straight and cisgender students.

LGBTQ+ youth are at a higher risk of experiencing homelessness and are twice as likely to report experiencing homelessness than non-LGBTQ+ students.[1] These youth are sometimes more vulnerable than other youth experiencing homelessness and are forced to conceal that side of their entity in order to preserve their safety. As one youth explained, “Wherever I stayed and whoever I stayed with, regardless of their intent, if they learned about my sexuality, it still put me in the vulnerable position of unstable and inconsistent housing; and when I was already vulnerable, I felt like I needed to obscure that side of me as a means of exercising control in my life over the one thing I had authority: the story that I presented to others.”[2]

Aspects of a youth’s queer identity can compound on their homeless experience and create emergent struggles that are unique to gender and sexual minorities. These additional struggles can make it even more difficult to access services and seek support. These youth can be denied access to transitional housing if they disclose their sexual identity and can suffer higher rates of violence and abuse than their straight and cisgender homeless peers. LGBTQ+ homeless youth were twice as likely to report missing school in the last 30 days due to feeling unsafe, and twice as likely to report being threatened or injured with a weapon at school in the last year.[3]

At HYC we are committed to providing equitable support and access to all of our students. We collaborate with our nonprofit partners and school districts to provide early intervention to mitigate the increased risks and challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth who are experiencing homelessness in our communities.

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[1] “Are Homeless High Schoolers Safe At School?” Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness. December 6, 2018. https://www.icphusa.org/maps_infographics/are-homeless-high-schoolers-safe-at-school/

[2] “Youth Homelessness & Queer Identity: There is No Single Story.” SchoolHouse Connection. June 22, 2021. https://schoolhouseconnection.org/youth-homelessness-queer-identity-there-is-no-single-story/

[3] “Are Homeless High Schoolers Safe At School?” Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness. December 6, 2018. https://www.icphusa.org/maps_infographics/are-homeless-high-schoolers-safe-at-school/