Australia: Young LGBTI people twice as likely to be homeless

by Shannon Molloy

A group of 1000 people will come together this weekend to stand in the shape of a house to raise awareness of a shameful statistic about the state of young people.

Around Australia tonight, an estimated 116,000 people will sleep rough – either on the streets, in temporary shelter or in unsupported accommodation.

Of that number, at least 27,000 will be aged between the ages of 12 and 18.

And research shows that LGBT young people are at least twice as likely to experience homelessness than heterosexual youth as a result of increased discrimination, violence, family rejection and heightened stress.

The LGBT Homelessness Research Project found LGBT more likely to experience homelessness at a younger age, heightening their vulnerability. Council to Homeless Persons chief executive officer Jenny Smith said some young people are forced out of the family home due to rejection when they come out.

“Leaving home young is hard enough, but in our current housing market, and with increasingly ineffective social safety nets, it is downright dangerous,” Ms Smith said of the research findings. Read more via News.com.au