LGBTQ+ Young People Face Higher Risks of Homelessness

LGBTQ+ young people are much more likely to experience homelessness than their peers. For many, housing instability also brings increased exposure to discrimination, violence, and exploitation. Across the cities where Covenant House operates, we see how safe shelter, affirming care, and trusted support can change that path.

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120%

LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their peers.

40%

In the U.S., 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, compared to 23% of all young adults.

43%

At Covenant House, 43% of youth in residence identify as LGBTQ+.

Why Do LGBTQ+ Youth Experience Homelessness?

Like many young people without stable housing, there is rarely one single cause. Poverty, abuse, aging out of foster care, and family instability can all contribute.

But for many LGBTQ+ young people, family rejection tied to sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression remains one of the most common drivers of housing loss. We’ve heard many heartbreaking stories of rejection and eviction that ultimately led these promising youths to life on the streets.

Once homeless, LGBTQ+ youth face further challenges. Some report discriminatory practices and policies when trying to access homeless youth services. And LGBTQ+ young people are more likely to be physically assaulted, to be forced to have sex, to engage in sex for basic needs, to harm themselves, and to face discrimination or stigma.

LGBTQ+ young people need trusted adults who help keep them safe, supported, and not just accepted, but celebrated for who they are.

LGBTQ+ Young People Face More Than Twice the Risk of Being Homeless

According to a groundbreaking study by Chapin Hall of the University of Chicago, LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their peers. And, while LGBTQ+ youth make up only 23% of the total U.S. youth population, they comprise an astounding 40% of all young people experiencing homelessness in the country.

Often times, youth who make their way to Covenant House do so bearing complex histories of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. LGBTQ+ youth are further traumatized by rejection in their families, schools, and communities due to their gender identity or sexual orientation. This abandonment leads to no support system, putting LGBTQ+ youth at greater risk of exploitation, human trafficking, physical violence, and suicide.

LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness by Region

LGBTQ+ youth make up only 23% of the total U.S. youth population, yet they comprise an astounding 40% of all young people experiencing homelessness in the country.

LGBTQ+ youth also face greater risks of "high levels of hardship." Hardship includes higher rates of assault, trauma, trafficking, and early death. Black youth who identify as LGBTQ+, particularly young Black men, experience the highest rates of homelessness.
In Canada, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transexual, queer, questioning, and 2-spirited youth (LGBTQ2S+) are underrepresented in the general youth population. But, as in the U.S., they are overrepresented among all young people facing homelessness.

It’s estimated that 25 to 40% of all young people facing homelessness in Canada identify as LGBTQ2S. In the shelter system, about 20% identify as LGBTQ2S. Too often, in shelters, these youth meet the same homophobia and transphobia they fled in their homes.
Young people who identify as LGBTQ+ in Honduras and Guatemala (found in Central America’s Northern Triangle) face some of the worst discrimination, marginalization, and violence at the hands of family, peers, security forces, and gang members. In Mexico, there has been an increase in LGBTQ+ youth forced out of their homes in recent years, and the risk of being out while living on the streets is extremely dangerous.

A Human Rights Watch report describes how LGBTQ+ young people face a “complex web of violence and discrimination” that threatens their physical safety, limits their life choices, may lead them to leave home, drop out of school, or, in some cases, to flee their country.

Safe, Affirming Shelter and Support for LGBTQ+ Youth

At Covenant House, our mission is one of unconditional love and absolute respect for all young people facing homelessness. Welcoming young people who identify as LGBTQ+ to our programs has been a part of who we are since our founding in 1972.

Our staff at all sites are trained to ensure an authentic welcome to LGBTQ+ youth and all young people, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.

LGBTQ+ youth are often hesitant to take added risks by engaging services or housing opportunities that do not immediately demonstrate safe and affirming spaces and programs for young people like them. LGBTQ+ youth often calculate their decision to engage with an agency against the risks of staying on the streets, or getting by without a formal support system. This is the reality for LGBTQ+ youth across all of the cities where we work.

It is our top priority that all youth experiencing homelessness feel welcome and safe. Our mission calls on us to help young people believe in themselves and celebrate their dignity just as they are.

We regularly implement new initiatives to support LGBTQ+ youth. With our unique offering of resources, including housing, food, education, workforce development, counseling, and other trauma-informed services created with the goal of positive youth development, we have become a lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.

Featured Stories

Margaret Elizabeth found Covenant House Texas

"At Covenant House, I found the first person to take an interest in my life. In that moment, I didn’t feel homeless or like a marginalized kid."

Young girl carrying tray of food. We help homeless kids by providing meals. Please donate today. | Covenant House Donations - Ways to Give

"I was moving from house to house because the people that I thought were there for me weren't really there for me."

Who Is at Risk?

Many complex factors increase a young person’s chances of experiencing homelessness. Demographic risk factors for becoming homeless include being Black, Hispanic, or Indigenous, parenting and unmarried, or LGBTQ+. Children raised in poverty and youth lacking a high school diploma or equivalency also have a higher risk of homelessness.

SUPPORTING YOUTH THROUGH ALLYSHIP

Young People of Color

LGBTQ+ Youth

Pregnant and Parenting Youth