20-40% of Youth Homelessness—LGBT kids kicked out-of-parents homes
I couldn’t decide on a category for this article. Whick would you have used?
The choice is made for them or is an alternative to abuse and neglect. And yet, youth homelessness is a national crisis. Each year, between 500,000 and 1.6 million youth in the U.S. are homeless or runaways [1].
The statistics for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender homeless youth are even more shocking, as this group represents 20-40% of all homeless young people [2]. Considering that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth represent an estimated 3-5% of the total youth population, these numbers are disproportionately high. And while even a single homeless youth on the streets is one too many, the disparity of gay and transgender youth that are homeless is unfathomable.
Family conflict is the most common cause of all youth homelessness. For gay and transgender youth, the conflict tends to be over their sexual orientation or gender identity, and the results aren’t pretty: Half of all teens get a negative reaction from their parents when they come out to them. More than 1 in 4 are thrown out of their homes [3].
Imagine confiding in the people you trust most in the world only to be rejected and tossed out on the street with no place to go.
Gay and transgender youth also face significant challenges at school, in foster care, and within the juvenile justice system that are contributing factors to their becoming homeless. When seeking support to overcome the obstacles in their way, they may find a lack of welcoming and inclusive resources to provide them help.