The Queer Housing Struggle

-


For years Portland, Oregon has been a relatively safe space for the gay community, especially those of alternative identities who have few places to go in what is a largely conservative state. However, this does not mean that LGBTQ people entering the city are afforded many specific privileges or benefits–far from it, in fact. Citywide, many queer people face difficulties with their employment and living situation, especially within the transgender and gender non-conforming communities. One of the greatest challenges facing trans homeless people is the lack of adequate resources dedicated to the specific struggles they face, with typical shelters and housing projects being insufficient or even unsafe as support structures for their needs.


Disproportionate Difficulties

Compared to other groups affected by homelessness, transgender individuals face tragically high rates especially as youth: being pushed from their homes by unsupportive parents or fleeing from violent physical or sexual abuse. Once on the street, is it difficult for them to take advantage of traditional shelters or structures for houseless people because they largely face the same deterrents. This issue is made more difficult by a higher level of discrimination found in other forms of housing. Many landlords disproportionately turn away transgender applicants, forcing them to resort to couch surfing–an option with a very short timer. 


        A general lack of research also harms the trans homeless population, making the issue invisible to both the public as well as potential investors in trans resources. Given the difficulty in the census-taking of houseless people, the added trial of verifying one's gender identity is largely ignored or mistaken. It is because of this that the recent data surrounding trans people in the Portland homeless population reads as 1.4%-1.7% but, given that up to 40% of houseless people identify as transgender nationally, the number is actually much higher. Furthermore, when focusing on intersections with racial identity, statistics around the subject also read much higher. For example: 44% of Indigenous LGBTQ youth have experienced housing instability alongside 27% of Latino, and 26% of Black LGBTQ youth nationally.



Existing Options

Despite the lack of visibility on the issue, Portland is still host to several small-scale shelters, aid projects, and support services that cater directly to houseless transgender and queer people. Among these few are Outside In, a local clinic which offers accessible healthcare and housing services for LGBTQ youth; Rose Haven is a day shelter and community center designed to aid specifically women, children, and the gender non-conforming, providing aid from hot meals to educational programs; finally, the PDX Trans Housing Coalition is a small organization operating in the Portland area, they provide services by way of organized community events like clothing drives and food pantries which they advertise on their Facebook page. 


How to Help

Now more than ever, houseless trans and non-conforming people need support structures to keep them out of the homeless cycle and foremost away from abusive or deadly situations. To help build a more concrete support system in Portland and bolster community interdependence, consider the following options:


Donate: From supplies like clothing and food to financial gifts, donations greatly help existing organizations spread as much aid as possible to the community.


Share: The enemy to aiding the queer homeless population is invisibility, sharing the resources or research offered in this blog would help to expand the visibility of the issue.


Volunteer: Given the high volume of houseless people, many organizations find themselves understaffed and benefit greatly from part-time volunteers.



Where to Go

Rose Haven Donation Page: https://rosehaven.org/helping/

Outside In Donation Page: https://outsidein.org/about-us/donate-now/


LGBTQ+ Services: https://outsidein.org/young-adult-services/lgbtqiaplus/


Trans Housing Coalition Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pdxtranshousing



References

Trans and gender non-conforming homelessness. National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2021, March 31). https://endhomelessness.org/trans-and-gender-non-conforming-homelessness/

Homelessness Research Institute. (n.d.). Transgender Homeless Adults & unsheltered Homelessness: What the Data Tells Us. National Alliance to End Homelessness. https://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Trans-Homelessness-Brief-July-2020.pdf

The Trevor Project. (n.d.). Homelessness and housing instability among LGBTQ youth. The Trevor Project. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Trevor-Project-Homelessness-Report.pdf


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Access to Healthcare for Homeless Individuals with Disabilities

-
Image
Photo by Sarwer e Kainat Welfare from Pexels. Healthcare access is still a major obstacle for the homeless, especially those with disabilities. The complexity of homelessness and the obstacles faced by people with disabilities in Oregon and elsewhere pose a serious threat to public health. This blog post examines the particular difficulties and potential solutions to enhance access to healthcare for this vulnerable population. Unique Healthcare Challenges for Homeless Individuals with Disabilities A study by Oxford Academic published in "Social Work" highlights several key barriers to healthcare access for homeless individuals with disabilities. These barriers include: Absence of Accessible Services Inadequate care results from many healthcare facilities' lack of capacity to address the unique requirements of people with disabilities. Transportation Problems It can be challenging for homeless people to regularly attend medical visits since they frequently lack access to...
Read more

Hostile Architecture: A Harmful Solution

-
Image
  As homelessness starts to rise in many states, many actions have started to take place, one of them being hostile architecture.   Hostile architecture is an architectural design intended to deter certain activities and restrict people from using that public space. Hostile architecture goes unnoticed by most people, as they don't affect them. Some examples of hostile architecture involve: Armrests on benches Curved or slanted benches Rocky pavements Bike racks and planter boxes in a line Window sills with spikes In Portland, Oregon, the hostile architecture are focused towards the homeless and preventing camping. Since 2013, the state agency has spent over $1 million on what is described as "rockscape landscaping" to keep homeless campers off property owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation. In downtown Portland, NW Broadway, dozens of lined up bike racks were installed in. The area isn't an active destination, so the need for that many bike racks i...
Read more

Camp Clearing on the West Coast

-
 On The west Coast homelessness is a serious problem. When considering the homeless crises, Los Angeles is one of the places that comes to mind. Homelessness sweeps beyond “Skid Row” in Los Angeles, in fact it has become widespread throughout California. As of July 25 th, 2024, Gov. Newsom has issued an order to remove all homeless camps in the state of California. Will this be beneficial, will it be improving the lives of homeless individuals, or will it be another pointless tax on Californians? Improving to the lives of homeless individuals; appears to be uncertain as far as we know. Gov. Newsom has decided to invest $24 billion to clean up homeless camps. Gov. Newsom said, “We must act with urgency to address dangerous encampments which subject unsheltered individuals living in them to extreme weather, fires, predatory and criminal activity, and widespread substance use, harming their health, safety and well-being, and which also threaten the safety and viability of nearby busin...
Read more