Insights into LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness

AN INTERVIEW WITH HUNTER WILLARD

We asked OutFront Kalamazoo’s Director of Homeless Youth Programs, Hunter Willard, to share a few insights about LGBTQ+ youth homelessness in our area and how OutFront’s Host Homes program is working to help local youth who are struggling with housing instability.

We are often asked about the causes of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness. What can you tell us about the main factors that lead a youth to becoming homeless in our area? What makes them continue to struggle to find housing once they are homeless?

HW: There are so many factors. Poverty and racial disparities can contribute to youth homeless. So can mental health issues and substance abuse. Sometimes young people who have had involvement with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems are also more likely to become homeless. But LGBTQ+ youth homelessness here is often rooted in family conflict. 

Many queer young people are ousted from their family for coming out and trying to live as their authentic selves. It’s a very common case among young LGBTQ+ people in our area, and especially true for young trans people. And discrimination in housing and employment can often keep a youth homeless once they are on the streets. In fact, discrimination can cause them to struggle with homelessness in early adulthood and even in later years. Lack of job opportunity means they are often unable to support themselves sufficiently and even when they can, they may face discriminatory landlords. There is clear bigotry in the housing system--more than once, I’ve seen landlords threaten eviction because a tenant is openly LGBTQ+.

OutFront’s Host Homes program is relatively new. Have there been any success stories with the program since you joined the staff?

HW: Every night, thousands of queer young people in the United States experience homelessness without the support of a parent or guardian — and go to sleep without the safety, stability and support of a family or a home. The problem doesn’t just exist in big cities. It is very real here too. When I started at OutFront last year and made contact with one of our very first clients, they had been homeless and couch-surfing for a while. They hadn’t actually been kicked out by their family once they had come out as trans, but their family was not making it easy for them to be themselves. It wasn’t a livable situation. It came to the point where the youth found it better and safer to just leave. For them, anything was better than being in that home.

What did Host Homes program do to help this young person?

HW: Immediately, we put them in a hotel for a week while we attempted to get them unemployment benefits. We searched for anywhere in the community where they could stay. When the week ran out, we found a family willing to take them in for a few additional weeks. When that time ran out, we placed her in a hotel again and kept searching for another alternative. No matter what, we made sure they weren’t on the streets. 

They were eventually able to find steady employment and we were able to get them into another community member’s home for a short period of time. They’re now staying with friends and looking forward to being able to get their own apartment. They’ve been working hard to improve their situation, and that’s something I take inspiration from – this youth was working just as hard as I was, they just didn’t have the resources that the Host Homes program does. I am also inspired by the way the LGBTQ+ community of Kalamazoo really stepped up and took the youth into their homes, and it was really amazing to see people so willing to help. 

Is this what will make the Host Homes program successful?

HW: The Host Homes program wouldn’t be possible without the support of LGBTQ+ individuals and our allies. Host Homes is a prevention program. One of the ways it helps is by matching LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing housing instability with volunteers in the community that open their hearts and homes. That spirit of generosity and caring is what the Host Homes program is built on. And this solution becomes especially important for youth who are still in high school.

The client I just mentioned wasn’t in school and could work full-time. Imagine if they were still in high school and under the age of 18. Getting an apartment is practically impossible unless you become legally emancipated from your parent or guardian. And your first worry isn’t going to be graduating from high school. Your top concern will be putting food in your mouth or finding a place to sleep for the night. Homeless youth and young adults need stable housing, healthy meals and supportive connections to caring adults. We’re looking forward the community’s increasing involvement in the months ahead. 

Would you like to learn more? Contact Hunter Willard here.