Left Behind: LGBT Homeless Youth Struggle to Survive on the Streets

[hrmjustin]

BY MIRANDA LEITSINGER

NEW YORK – A yellow cab creeps along a desolate Manhattan street, following Aludein Marks and a friend on a cold spring night.

Marks, a teen who identifies as a transgender female, knew what the driver wanted—sex—but she wasn’t doing that work anymore. The cabbie trailed her for several minutes before finally driving off.

“This life, it gets depressing,” said Marks, a soft-spoken 19-year-old who goes by the name Diamond. In the last year, she had experienced periods of homelessness, sleeping at a park, friends’ places and shelters after fighting with her mother over a number of issues, including her romantic interest in men and her gender identity. (Diamond’s mother declined comment).

Despite the gains made for gay rights in recent years, homeless LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) youth have benefited little. Instead, their numbers on the streets have swelled, representing up to an estimated 40 percent of the nation’s young adult homeless population, data shows. In many cases, LGBT youth choose or are forced to leave home because their families don’t accept them. Once homeless, they are exposed to the perils of street life: violence, survival sex, and, in some cases, HIV.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/left-behind-lgbt-homeless-youth-struggle-survive-streets-n157506

[enlightenment]

1. My son is a housing officer

for a London charity that works to provide transitional housing and support for LGBT youth between 16 and 25 who are living rough. It is a very successful program that offers an excellent model. They also offer other programs.

It wouldn't work as well in the US, because government support is less available and things like medical care (not just insurance) is harder to come by, but the concept is sound.

http://www.stonewallhousing.org/home.html


note: they are not associated with the advocacy group Stonewall (which is somewhat lukewarm on transgender concerns).

[hrmjustin]

2. We need more people like your son.

[enlightenment]

3. We need more groups like

Stonewall Housing. The first step is the security of having a safe roof over your head. I really believe that for every one person who chooses to live rough, there are a hundred that have no other choice. That's wrong and we need to fix it. I'm tired of seeing "yeah, but some of "those people" want to live that way". Some do, but I don't think many - and it's no excuse to avoid making affirmative steps to end homelessness.

[hrmjustin]

4. Yes we do. My chur h has a Saturday program for LGBT youth and most are homeless.

The problem is staggering but there is not enough aid groups to keep up with it.

[enlightenment]

5. It shouldn't just be charities.

Cities and states (and the Fed) need to step up to the plate. It's easy to say "we need to end homelessness" and for politicians it's politically safe . . . but it's a platitude that is rarely backed up with anything substantive.

before the mid-20th century, social issues were considered the responsibility of churches and charities - and they were only marginally successful. I'm not sure why we are headed back in that direction, though it is more and more common.

[hrmjustin]

6. De Blasio is trying to do some new thingz on housing that can help but we need a nationwide

Initiative.

[enlightenment]

7. Yes. nt