Some lesbians are still kicked out of home or ostracized from their families for their sexual orientation. As a result, some of us end up homeless… and the streets aren’t immune from homophobia either. The news that Washington, D.C. has opened the District’s first low-barrier shelter for LGBT adults is massive because we are a population that is especially vulnerable to living rough.
On Thursday, July 14, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Department of Human Services cut the ribbon on the new shelter that focuses on “providing housing and services to District [LGBT] residents who are experiencing homelessness,” the D.C. government website reads.
“The building previously served as a family shelter, but as the District continues to drive down family homelessness and with new family shelters open citywide, was converted into a shelter dedicated to LGBTQ+ residents – a population of residents who are disproportionately affected by homelessness.”
The shelter will host 40 beds and will be a “low-barrier emergency shelter for unaccompanied [LGBT] adults — 25 years of age and older.”
The shelter will also provide “trauma-informed case management services, including mental health, substance abuse treatment, medical, and victims’ services.”
Laura Zailinger, director of the D.C. Department of Human Services, said “that the most recent numbers indicate that about 18 percent of the District’s unsheltered adults — those who spend their nights in tents, cars and otherwise outside of the city’s shelter system — identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community,” according to The Washington Post.
While almost one in five unsheltered adults are LGBT, less than one in ten of sheltered adults are. “Among those who have sought refuge in shelters, Zeilinger added, about 7 percent identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
The disparity “tells you something about why we need this shelter,” Zeilinger said.
While this new shelter is only for 25 and up, D.C. has had dedicated shelters for LGBT youth for years. “The city estimates that roughly 40 percent of homeless D.C. youth identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
The need for adult LGBT shelters will likely grow as baby boomers age, because “more than 2.4 million people in the U.S. aged 65 or older identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.”
A 2021 study found that older LGB people (55+) are more likely to face discrimination and abuse than their straight counterparts. The Washington Post found that this translates into a higher chance of homelessness.
“Older adults in the LGBTQ community are more likely to be affected by poverty and health disparities, and may be more vulnerable to neglect and mistreatment in aging care facilities, according to the APA. All of these disparities can be compounded by intersections of sex, race, ethnicity and disability status, the group adds.”
