Shelter and Transitional Housing for Transgender Youth

Abstract

This is one article in a three part series in this issue of The Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health documenting the proceedings from the workshop “The Psychiatric Needs of the Transgender Homeless Population” at the 2009 American Psychiatric Association's Institute on Psychiatric Services Conference in New York City. In the United States, transgender youth are overrepresented among the homeless. The stigma and discrimination that causes and maintains homelessness among transgender people is also prevalent in the streets and at programs that serve homeless people. This makes life for transgender people in foster care, at shelters, and in transitional housing difficult and even dangerous. Shelter policies have been created and adopted to address safety concerns of transgender people. In addition, transitional housing and other services exclusively serving sexual/gender minorities have also been developed to provide safe shelter for this population.

KEYWORDS:

• homeless persons
• transgender
• transsexual
• lesbian
• gay
• bisexual
• queer
• LGBTQ
• shelters
• housing
• youth
• policy