Homelessness among
gay youth rises
By BOB MAKIN, Courier
News Online (c-n.com) December 21, 2006
While the adult gay community in New
Jersey won a political victory when Gov. Corzine signed the civil unions law
today, their younger counterparts don't appearing to be faring as well.
A recent report, "Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth: An
epidemic of homelessness," by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in
collaboration with the National Coalition for the Homeless, reveals an epidemic
of homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth.
According to statistics cited by the federally funded National Runaway
Switchboard, 42 percent of homeless youth identify as gay or lesbian, which is
grossly disproportionate given that approximately 3 to 5 percent of the U.S.
population identifies as gay or lesbian. (Additional research has found
that homeless youth also disproportionately identify as bisexual or
transgender.)
Based on these estimates, up to 8,400 of the 15,000 to 20,000 homeless youth
estimated to live in New York City are LGBT. Nationwide, according to the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, each year between 570,000 and 1.6
million youth are homeless or run away. This means that up to 672,000 of
these youth are LGBT.
The report answers some basic questions, including why so many LGBT youth are
becoming and remaining homeless. In addition, it addresses the harassment
and violence that many of these youth experience in existing public shelter
systems and summarizes research on critical problems affecting these youth,
including mental health issues, substance abuse and risky sexual behavior.
The report also analyzes the federal government’s response to youth
homelessness, including the specific impact on LGBT homeless youth of increased
federal funding for faith-based service providers.
“The heartbreaking epidemic of homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender youth is both fueled and ignored by powerful forces across the
country, including many who cloak themselves in ‘family values,’” said Matt
Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
“We salute New York City and its City Council for embracing these kids and
responding with compassion and resources.”
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn added, "This study illustrates
that the challenges LGBT youth face can become so great that kids are left
displaced and homeless. It is crucial that we provide the resources for
connecting these young people with safe shelter, health care and educational
services. The City Council is proud to have made the needs of LGBT
homeless youth a priority, and we will continue our work to ensure these young
people get the services they need."
The report was Dec. 14 at New York City Hall. Key findings include:
* Family conflict, including conflict over a youth’s sexual orientation or
gender identity, is the primary cause for young people becoming homeless.
In one study, 50 percent of gay male teens who came out to their parents
experienced a negative reaction and 26 percent of them were told they must leave
home.
* LGBT youth report experiencing discrimination, harassment and violence at
shelters and service providers. For example, one facility in Michigan
forced youth who identified as or were perceived as being LGBT to wear orange
jumpsuits.
* LGBT homeless youth are more likely to suffer from mental health issues and
substance abuse than are their heterosexual peers, and are more likely to be
victimized by sexual predators.
The report concludes with a series of state-, federal-, and practitioner-level
policy recommendations that can help to curb this epidemic, including:
* Establishing funding streams to provide housing options for all homeless youth
and requiring that recipients of these funds are committed to the safe and
appropriate treatment of LGBT homeless youth.
* Permitting dedicated shelter and housing for LGBT youth.
* Extending comprehensive health insurance and services through the age of 24 to
all low-income youth via Medicaid.
* Requiring all agencies that seek public funding and licensure to serve
homeless youth to adopt nondiscrimination policies for LGBT youth.
* Mandating LGBT awareness training as a part of the professional licensing
process for all health care, social service, child welfare and juvenile justice
agency staff.
For more information, including a copy of the report, visit
www.thetaskforce.org.
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