Perceptions: Addressing LGBTI Youth Homelessness in Europe and Central Asia

About the report

In April 2021, ILGA-Europe in association with the LGBTIQ Youth Homelessness organisation True Colors United, and the Silberman Center for Sexuality and Gender (SCSG) at Hunter College published a report based on a survey exploring the experiences of LGBTIQ focused organisations in Europe in working on the issue of LGBTI youth homelessness. It points to a large prevalence of LGBTI youth homelessness across Europe, with over 60% of LGBTIQ organisations surveyed saying they have worked with young people who have experienced homelessness.

A comparative report from European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) also finds that over 60% of homeless services organisations have dealt with young LGBTIQ people experiencing homelessness but often without any training or support. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents indicated that no national policy exists specifically addressing the issue of LGBTI youth homelessness and over half of respondents (59%) reported a lack of governmental support for programmes that focus on LGBTI youth homelessness, including nearly half (47%) reporting a lack of funding support for such programmes.

Background

Housing instability and homelessness impact LGBTI youth and young adults across the globe. In 2017, True Colors United began working with ILGA-Europe to organize a session on LGBTI youth homelessness at their annual conference, held in Warsaw, Poland. Since that time, the organisations have collaborated to provide workshops at ILGA-Europe’s annual conferences and worked together with The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) to better understand the realities of LGBTI youth homelessness in Europe.

True Colors United, FEANTSA and ILGA-Europe have worked together to create a plan for conducting research that would establish a baseline of understanding about LGBTI youth homelessness across LGBTI focused organisations and inform the development of resources to aid in addressing the challenges that organisations face when working on this critical issue. The survey, developed by ILGA-Europe and True Colors United and in collaboration with the Silberman Center for Sexuality and Gender at Hunter College, is the first step in that process.

Downloads

• Download here the report Perceptions: Addressing LGBTI Youth Homelessness in Europe and Central Asia - Findings from a Survey of LGBTI Organisations.
• Download here the report Perceptions: Findings from a Survey of Homelessness Service Providers.
• Download here the report Perceptions: Comparative findings from a study of homeless service providers and LGBTI-focused organisations about LGBTIQ youth homelessness in Europe.