LGBTQ+ adults are more than twice as likely to report experiencing homelessness at some point in their lives, as compared to the general population. In the New York City shelter system, well-documented challenges around lack of privacy and safety are especially acute where the LGBTQ+ community is concerned. In particular, transgender individuals are more likely to choose to live in public spaces such as streets and subways rather than navigate a system where most shelters are divided by gender binary.
“The sparse options for LGBTQ+ individuals experiencing homelessness is an urgent challenge, but there are models that illuminate the path forward. Volunteers of America-Greater New York’s Street to Home program, launched in 2022 in partnership with the City of New York, applies a “housing first” philosophy to place individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness directly into permanent affordable housing, without mandating shelter stays as a precondition to housing subsidies or support services.”
Read the full op-ed by VOA-GNY Chief of Staff, Nick Brasse, in amNY.