Youth Homelessness

Overview

People do not choose to be homeless — particularly young people. The choice is made for them or is an alternative to abuse and neglect. And yet, youth homelessness is a national crisis. Each year, up to 1.6 million youth in the U.S. are homeless and up to 40% of them identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
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Reasons

The issue of homelessness is complicated. When it’s young people who are homeless, it’s especially difficult to imagine how and why. Here are some of the reasons we know about why so many — too many — lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth are homeless.
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Experience

All of us have the same basic needs, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity. Our survival is dependent only on our ability to access food, shelter and healthcare. In a nation as prosperous and democratic as ours, one would expect these necessities to be easily and equitably available. In reality, the experience frequently falls short of the expectation, especially for youth.
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Solutions

So what can we do to help reduce homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth? We can recognize that there is a problem and commit to being part of the solution. But the most important thing we can do is care.
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