RISE Housing and Support Services is proud to celebrate PRIDE Month. During this month, we acknowledge the progress made in the LGBTQ+ — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and other sexual and gender identities — community and recommit to the work that still needs to be done to achieve equality for this community.
As a housing and support services agency, RISE recognizes the disparity members of this community face with both homelessness and mental health challenges and we seek to be a part of the solution to achieve equality in these areas.
LGBTQ+ youth and young adults have a 120% higher risk of experiencing homelessness than their heterosexual peers
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) it is estimated that LGBTQ+ youth and young adults have a 120% higher risk of experiencing homelessness than their heterosexual peers. Family conflict is the most common cause of all youth and young adult homelessness but for LGBTQ+ youth in particular, the conflict tends to be over their sexual orientation or gender identity. In general, LGBTQ+ youth and young adults have great difficulty finding shelters that accept and respect them. Additionally, individuals in the LGBTQ+ community experiencing homelessness are often at a heightened risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation compared with their heterosexual peers due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
NAMI also reports there is strong evidence from recent research that LGBTQ+ individuals are at a higher risk for experiencing mental health conditions — depression and anxiety in particular. Many people in the LGBTQ+ community face discrimination, prejudice, and denial of civil rights, rejection, and harassment. These can lead to worsened mental health symptoms. Identity-based shame is traumatic for LGBTQ+ individuals. They are one of the most targeted communities by perpetrators of hate crimes in the country. Discrimination makes them at a heightened risk for PTSD compared to those who identify as heterosexual and cisgender (person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex).
RISE seeks to be a part of the solution towards creating equality.
Regardless of a person’s gender or sexual preference, all people deserve the right to safe shelter. At RISE, we seek to provide housing options that will respect the sexuality and personal identity, of LGBTQ+ individuals. We educate our staff in cultural competency to create an environment of support and understanding for LGBTQ+ individuals in order to prevent discrimination from occurring. In doing so, we seek to create a sense of inclusiveness in our housing programs to provide LGBTQ+ individuals the safe shelter they deserve.
Comprehensive and culturally competent treatment is an important part of helping LGBTQ+ individuals with their mental health. When seeking mental health treatment and support services, members of this community may face prejudices or a lack of cultural competency from potential provider. This can cause fear of treatment and fear of disclosing their sexual orientation and gender identity. At RISE we are confronting these barriers by educating our staff to provide LGBTQ+ inclusive support services in an effort to create improved outcomes and even recovery.
Please join us in committing to the work that needs to be done to achieve equality for individuals in LGBTQ+ community. Learn about the root causes of homelessness and mental health challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face and teach others. Below are some resources you can use to help us recognize the disparities and create equality for the LGBTQ+ community.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – LBGTQ
LGBTQ Mental Health Treatment Disparities
Center for American Progress: How to Close the LGBT Health Disparities Gap
National Coalition for the Homeless
True Colors United