Recent Report Sheds Light on LGBT Homeless Youth
A 2006 report titled, "An Epidemic of Homelessness,"
by Nicholas Ray cites a study in
which "50 percent of homeless youth...considered it likely or very
likely that they will
someday test positive for HIV." This report was published by the
National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and the National Coalition for the
Homeless.
This report estimates that lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) youth
make up 20 to 40 percent of all homeless youth in the United States. As
New York City
is the epicenter of HIV/AIDS and has significant homeless and LGBT populations,
this
information is highly relevant both to SMART, Inc. in terms of policy
and outreach, as
well as to SMART Youth, which works with adolescents living with and affected
by
HIV/AIDS and those at high risk.
The report cites the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services' estimated
statistics that the number of homeless and runaway youth ranges from approximately
500,000 to 1.5 million each year. While this particular report does not
specifically focus
on HIV/AIDS or New York City, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
estimates
that there are between 15,000 and 20,000 homeless youth in New York City,
of whom
3,000 to 8,000 are LGBT.
"An Epidemic of Homelessness" explains
that while all homeless youth face a
number of critical issues, these issues may be compounded for LGBT youth.
Research
suggests that many adolescents who reveal their sexual identity or changing
gender
identity to their families are expelled from their homes or face violence
and thus runaway
or become homeless. Indeed, family conflict is the most significant factor
leading to
homelessness for all youth, according to the report.
Perhaps due to sexual orientation-based or gender-based
stigma and
marginalization, LGBT homeless youth often face serious mental health
issues. Due to
stressors and family history, homeless LGBT youth also have a higher propensity
to turn
to alcohol and drugs, perhaps as a coping strategy. "An Epidemic
of Homelessness" cites
a Minnesota study which found that "between 10 and 20 percent of
homeless youth self-
identify as chemically dependent."
The report explains that in survival mode, some
homeless youth will turn to sex
work or "survival sex" to meet their basic needs such as shelter,
food and money and that
LGBT homeless youth are more likely to do so. This puts these youth at
high risk for
sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS: "According to New York
City-based
research cited in The New York Times, an individual experiencing homelessness
was
seven times as likely as other New Yorkers to die from AIDS [and] 16 times
as likely to
be diagnosed with HIV... Substance use, unprotected sex with any number
of sex
partners, and exposure to STIs and HIV makes homeless LGBT youth more
susceptible
to further negative outcomes." Further, according to the report,
"lesbian and gay youth
may have a harder time negotiating condom use with a partner." Transgender
youth face
a host of additional challenges compared to their lesbian, gay and bisexual
peers and
research cites higher reports of sex work and HIV/AIDS.
"An Epidemic of Homelessness" calls
for more federal funding to address both
homeless youth in general and LGBT homeless youth specifically, especially
in order to
provide "safe and effective services," and calls for a host
of federal, state, local and
practitioner-level recommendations to best meet the needs of this population.
If you are interested in learning more about
this population or this topic impacts
you, please refer to the list of local and national resources on page
3. ~CM
Source: Ray, N. (2006). Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth:
An epidemic of
homelessness. New York: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute
and the
National Coalition for the Homeless.
