HUD Partners With True Colors to Prevent LGBTQ Youth Homelessness

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the True Colors Fund are excited to announce the beginning stages of implementation of the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative, a first-of-its-kind effort to identify successful strategies to ensure that no young person is left without a home because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. HUD and the True Colors Fund have been working together since 2013 to conceive the elements of the Initiative, which is now ready to be implemented in Harris County, TX and Hamilton County, OH.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth comprise up to 40 percent of the homeless youth population in the United States, yet they make up only 5-7 percent of the general youth population. Family conflict is the most frequently reported reason that young people experience homelessness, and for LGBTQ youth, that conflict is often related to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Every American should have access to decent, affordable housing. It's a tragedy that so many LGBTQ youth are being mistreated simply because of who they are, making them particularly vulnerable to homelessness," said HUD Secretary Juli�n Castro. "Our partnership with the True Colors Fund and these two communities will help ensure that these young folks have a place to call home and an opportunity to achieve their dreams."

The initiative, which is being conducted over the next two years will develop and evaluate strategies to prevent LGBTQ youth from becoming homeless or intervene as early as possible once they do become homeless. A central goal is to work with families and youth to address the conflict in the home and identify opportunities to prevent the conflict in the first place. Once the initiative is completed, the resources and tools developed can be replicated and implemented in communities across the country.

"No young person deserves to be homeless, let alone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We must stand with America's next generation to ensure that they all have a safe and supportive place to call home," said Cyndi Lauper, co-founder of the True Colors Fund. "If we truly want to end youth homelessness, which is a fixable issue, then we have to invest in prevention and support communities as they work to implement these life-changing efforts."

Dozens of collaborators within each of the two communities developed the plans, including teachers, faith leaders, homeless youth service providers, counselors, police officers, advocates, and young people themselves. "I refuse to be another story of neglect, abuse, and shame," said Daniella Carter, 20, who was featured on MTV/Logo's "The T Word" and is an advocate working with the True Colors Fund. "Help us turn the unimaginable into reality."

This initiative was developed by and is supported by five Federal Government partners: the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), and the nonprofit organization the True Colors Fund. The two communities have received targeted technical assistance from both HUD and the True Colors Fund to help implement the initiative.

The Harris County collaborative, named NEST, is being led by the Montrose Center. "With over 2,000 chronically homeless individuals, and more than 2,800 homeless veterans housed since January 2012, we are working to end all youth and family homelessness," said Houston Mayor Annise Parker. "Having adopted a homeless youth, my family knows too well the perils that these children face living on our streets. We are excited to be working with our national partners at HUD and the True Colors Fund to kick start our efforts to prevent LGBTQ youth homelessness here in Houston."

In Hamilton County, Lighthouse Youth Services and Strategies to End Homelessness are leading the Safe and Supported plan to prevent homelessness for LGBTQ youth. "I strongly support the efforts of the Safe and Supported Initiative in helping to prevent homelessness for LGBTQ youth," said Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley. "Until recently, little attention was paid to this problem. We must all commit to working together to extend a helping hand and make sure no one suffers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

These organizations in both communities are joined by countless others who have participated in the planning and will help facilitate the implementation of the plans, ensuring their alignment with local efforts to address homelessness that are already underway.

For more information about the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative in Harris County, please visit http://www.montrosecenter.org/hub/nest-home/, and in Hamilton County, please visit https://www.strategiestoendhomelessness.org/ending-homelessness/systemic-initiatives/.