Gender Minorities Are More Likely to Experience Unsheltered Homelessness
June 25, 2019 — During the 2018 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, transgender and gender non-binary individuals were counted in almost every state and nearly two-thirds of the Continuums of Care in the country. Analysis from this data reveals that both groups are more likely to be unsheltered than cisgender adults experiencing homelessness.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Equal Access Rule states that all HUD programs are open to all eligible individuals and families regardless of their marriage status, sexual orientation or gender identity. An updated rule adopted in 2016 specified that transgender people using homeless shelters should be placed and accommodated in accordance with their gender identity. These are essential to reducing the over-representation of transgender and non-binary people in the unsheltered population. More information about the rule is available here.
For more information on this topic, please read the Alliance’s full research brief.