Internationally, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTIQ+) people comprise 20-40% of those experiencing homelessness, despite only comprising 5-10% of the general population.1 LGBTIQ+ people experience disproportionately high rates of the structural, social and biographical factors causing and exacerbating homelessness such as poverty, family relationship breakdown, sexual abuse, and poor health.1,2 LGBTIQ+ people have specific needs around avoiding, exiting, and surviving homelessness; service provision is frequently inaccessible and unsafe.2–4
This Briefing builds on research that was the first in Aotearoa to look specifically at LGBTIQ+ people’s experiences of homelessness
. This previous research showed these experiences were shaped by: failures of support and key intervention points; the necessity of survival restricting agency; and the long-term effect of concealing identities and coping with shame, stigma, and trauma.5–8 Understanding LGBTIQ+ homelessness demands a focus on, and across, systems and institutions. As with any poverty-related “issue,” it is important to also look upstream to explore how the phenomenon can be prevented in the first place. Read more