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Thursday, May 29, 2025

No Safe Place: The Unseen Crisis of LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness

By: Sage Carlesimo

Thursday, May 29, 2025

When we talk about homelessness, the focus is often on adults, mental health, addiction, or economic hardship. But there’s another group quietly bearing the brunt of this crisis: LGBTQ+ youth. These are teens and young adults, often just coming to terms with their identities, who are pushed out of homes, schools, and communities that should have protected them.

According to The Trevor Project and True Colors United, LGBTQ+ youth represent up to 40% of the youth homeless population, despite being only about 7% of the general youth population. That disparity isn't a coincidence. It's the result of systemic rejection, discrimination, and a lack of targeted resources.

Many of these youth are kicked out due to family conflict over their gender identity or sexual orientation. Others flee unsafe environments that threaten their mental and physical safety. Once on the streets, they’re more likely to experience violence, sexual exploitation, and mental health challenges. And for trans youth especially, finding affirming shelters or healthcare is often nearly impossible.

What makes this especially heartbreaking is that youth homelessness is preventable. Studies show that family acceptance, access to affirming services, and early intervention drastically reduce the chances of a young person becoming homeless. But the safety net isn’t wide enough. Most shelters aren’t equipped to support LGBTQ+ youth, especially trans youth, and the foster care system often repeats the cycle of rejection.

If we want to talk seriously about ending homelessness, we need to talk about queer youth. Not as a footnote, but as a priority.

So, what can be done?

  • Fund inclusive shelters: Many youth shelters turn away LGBTQ+ youth or fail to provide gender-affirming care. Funding affirming programs can literally save lives.

  • Train social workers and case managers: LGBTQ+ competency should be standard, not optional, in all youth support services.

  • Support family reunification—when safe: Programs like Family Acceptance Project show that with the right tools, families can rebuild relationships with LGBTQ+ kids.

  • Pass anti-discrimination housing policies: Youth should never be denied housing or services based on their identity.

Homelessness isn’t just about lacking a roof, it’s about lacking safety, support, and belonging. For LGBTQ+ youth, this is a daily reality.

If you care about youth, if you care about justice, then you should care about this.

Further Resources:

References

Price, C., Chanchan, D., Wheeler, C., Seip, N., & Rush, J. (Eds.). (2019). At the intersections: A collaborative report on LGBTQ youth homelessness (2nd ed.). True Colors United & National LGBTQ Task Force. https://truecolorsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-At-the-Intersections-True-Colors-United.pdf

Ryan, C., & Rees, R. A. (2012). Supportive families, healthy children: Helping Latter-day Saint families with lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender children. Family Acceptance Project, Marian Wright Edelman Institute, San Francisco State University. https://familyproject.sfsu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/FAP%20LDS%20Booklet%20pst.pdf

The Trevor Project. (2024). 2024 U.S. National survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2024

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