User:Abains1721/Homelessness among LGBT youth in the United States/Bibliography

Drafting

Legend: My changes to the article will be in bold. Sentences I pull from the original article will be in normal text. No planned changes to heading or subheadings, but I will be reordering the current information. Original citation numbers in parentheses, with new citations referenced according to bibliography.

The government spends $4.2 billion annually on homeless assistance programs, but less than 5% of this funding ($195 million) is allocated for homeless children and youth, and a fraction of that in turn for unaccompanied homeless youth.(Citation 35 / ) Furthermore, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has acknowledged that LGBT youth are at a 120% greater risk of homelessness than heterosexual youth, and that they are also more vulnerable to negative health conditions, exploitation, and human trafficking. There are currently no federal programs or policies designed to specifically meet the needs of or protect LGBT homeless youth in the United States. (Citation 36).

There are concerns about discrimination against directing funding toward homeless LGBT youth. Federal funds are allocated to organizations that provide shelter and services to homeless youth in the United States through two major programs: The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), first implemented in 1974 as the Runaway Youth Act and reauthorized multiple times since then, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. (citation 34) According to the Center for American Progress, there are no mandates that the federal funds from these programs be provided to shelters that do not discriminate against LGBT youth. This means that some funding is given to organizations with explicitly anti-gay or anti-transgender policies. This can lead to denial of care, youth being afraid to access services, or youth being sent to sexual orientation conversion therapy. (citation 33)

Experts argue that policy makers are complacent regarding the specific problem of homeless LGBT youth. Runaway Youth Act programs are severely underfunded and are only able to provide services to a small portion of youth experiencing homelessness; and yet the Office of Management and Budget's 2006 rates these programs as 'effective', which is the highest rating possible. Federal responses remain focused on addressing gaps in research and data, such as questions determining factors of entry and exit to homelessness, impacts of homelessness on life outcomes, and effective ways to specify services and housing for homeless youth. As there are a disproportionate number of LGBT homeless youth, there needs to be an equivalent focus from researchers on addressing questions and issues specific to LGBT homeless youth. Chaplin Hall and the Voices of Youth Count conducted relevant research in 2018 and formulated recommendations and solutions to gaps in research for policymakers to utilize.

Talk Section

Updating Federal Policy Section

Hello, I am a student from UC Berkeley and I would like to propose some changes to the federal policy subsection of the response section of this article. I will update the section to include more recent information regarding the United States' federal policy regarding LGBT youth homelessness. Sources will include Focus on Unaccompanied Youth brief by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness in 2018, and the On the Streets: The Federal Response to Gay and Transgender Homeless Youth by the Center for American Progress in 2010. I will organize the information so that it is in chronological order.

Bibliography

[There are a disproportionate number of LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness, thus there needs to be a parallel focus from researchers and providers. This population is extremely vulnerable and faces intense mental health struggles due to circumstance and identity. LGBTQ+ youth are far more likely to to have mental health illnesses as compared to heterosexual counterparts. Mental health services need to be grounded in trauma informed care. “Given the reality of limited services and resources for homeless youth, it is imperative that at the very least a minimum care package of mental health services be adopted for LGBT youth experiencing homelessness.”

[Mental health can act as a cause and consequence in the case of queer youth experiencing homelessness. There should be solutions implemented from the federal level in order to respond to the rising crisis of homelessness and address the disproportionate number of queer youth that are suffering due to stigma, discrimination, and family rejection.

Defining the category of youth homelessness, along with a dive into the demographics of youth homelessness in the United States. Presents a basis for federal and academic use of terminology such as youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) and transitional aged youth (25) being under the age of 25. Addresses patterns and risks for youth experiencing homelessness, along with gaps in research and literature. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender youth are 120% more likely to report homelessness at some time during the year than their peers who identify as heterosexual and cisgender” “Many of these youth have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, which often intersect with issues such as trauma and risk behaviors.”