Homelessness among LGBTQ youth in the United States

Although specific estimates of the percentage of United States homeless youth who identify as LGBTQ vary widely, estimates generally fall somewhere between 11 and 40 percent. and the possibility of underreporting due to stigma associated with identifying as LGBTQ. The city from which the sample is drawn for each study may also account for a difference in estimates. ==Explanations for overrepresentation==

Researchers have posed a few core explanations for the overrepresentation of LGBTQ youth in the general United States homeless youth population. LGBTQ youth are more likely to be homeless because they run away or are evicted due to family conflict surrounding their sexual orientation or behavior. This explanation is supported by a 2011 survey study of a representative Massachusetts high school sample that found that LGBTQ youth were no more likely to be homeless and living with their parents than non-LGBTQ youth. Therefore, according to the study's authors, it may not be that LGBTQ youth are more likely to be part of a homeless family, but rather that their higher rate of homelessness is caused by being more likely to be evicted or run away. In addition, LGBTQ youth are more likely to be homeless due to physical or sexual abuse experienced at home. In 2013, the Hetrick-Martin Institute showed that among homeless queer girls aged 13–15 in New York City, 50% of them were homeless because they were fleeing familial corrective rape. In the background of both these explanations is the fact that, since the family conflicts associated with LGBTQ youth occur relatively late in a youth's development, LGBTQ youth are much less likely to be placed in foster care. Many other factors that lead to increased risk of homelessness in adolescents disproportionately affect LGBTQ youth, such as experiencing conflict at school. ==Comparison to heterosexual counterparts==

A large body of research details the differences in experiences between LGBTQ homeless youth and their heterosexual counterparts. Victimization Homeless youth in the United States who identify as LGBTQ are more likely to be victims of crime than heterosexual homeless youth. A 2004 study using interviews of homeless youth in eight midwestern cities determined that lesbian adolescents experiencing homelessness were more likely to report physical victimization than their heterosexual female counterparts. In particular, in a 2012 study, legal expert Nusrat Ventimiglia noted that participation in the sex industry, homelessness, and lack of social support are particularly high among transgender women. A 2008 study that used interviews of homeless youth who use substances in the Southwestern United States determined a significant correlation between survival sex and HIV risk. A 2006 study using survey data of homeless lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth in eight cities found that 62 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual homeless youth had attempted suicide, compared to 29 percent of non-lesbian, gay or bisexual youth. LGBTQ youth are 8.4 more times likely to attempt suicide if they are rejected by their family as a teen than if they are not rejected. In particular, a 2004 study based on interviews of homeless youth in the urban Midwest indicated that lesbian youth were more like than heterosexual females to show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation and attempts, and among gay, lesbian and heterosexual youth, lesbian adolescents were more likely to report caretaker and street victimization as well as mental health problems. In addition, a homeless youth emergency housing program's religious affiliation may lead to the denial of services to LGBTQ youth or the sending of youth to sexual orientation conversion therapy. ==Response==

Federal policy In 2020, the government spent $4.2 billion annually on homeless assistance programs, but less than 5% of this funding ($195 million) is allocated for homeless children and youth. A fraction of that is for unaccompanied homeless youth. Furthermore, in 2006, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness acknowledged that LGBTQ youth are at a 120% greater risk of homelessness than heterosexual youth, and that they are more vulnerable to negative health conditions, exploitation, and human trafficking. There are concerns about discrimination against directing funding toward homeless LGBTQ youth. Federal funds are allocated to organizations that provide shelter and services to homeless youth in the United States through two major programs: The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), first implemented in 1974 as the Runaway Youth Act and reauthorized multiple times since then, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Advocacy Many individuals and organizations, including the Center for American Progress and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, advocate for change to institutional policies regarding homelessness among LGBTQ youth in the United States. The goals and visions of these activists include: • Federally mandating that organizations receiving federal funding do not discriminate against LGBTQ youth • Mandating LGBTQ-specific training for homeless youth service providers • Establishing anti-discrimination policies among all relevant federal agencies for LGBTQ youth • Creating a federal "healthy families" program that provides counseling to families with LGBTQ children • Working to eliminate bullying of LGBTQ students in schools • Increasing federal research on this issue • The establishing of shelters and programs specifically serving LGBTQ homeless youth • In shelters and programs for homeless youth, using intake forms that allow but do not require youths to identify their sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as ensuring the forms do not make assumptions about the youth's sexual orientation or gender identity. • Placing occupancy caps on homeless shelters to reduce violence • Ensuring that LGBTQ youth are not placed with another youth that is overtly hostile or demeaning of LGBTQ individuals. • Segregating genders in a shelter by self-identified gender, rather than genitalia • For those shelters requiring dress codes, making such codes gender-neutral Non-profits In 2014, there were less than a dozen nonprofit organizations in the nation that focused on providing LGBTQ homeless youth specialized services, and most of them are on the coasts. In a 2012 web-based survey of homeless youth organizations, 94% of respondents reported serving LGBT homeless youth within the past year. Funding was the most common factor cited as an obstacle to combating homelessness among LGBT youth. Prominent shelters specifically for LGBTQ homeless youth include the Ali Forney Center in New York, named after an African-American transgender teenager who experienced homelessness and was murdered in 1997, and the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit. ==See also==