LGBTQ+ youth experience a 120% higher risk of homelessness than their peers (Morton, M.H., Dworsky, A., & Samuels, G.M. (2017). Missed opportunities: Youth homelessness in America. National estimates. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.)

46% of LGBTQ youth report they wanted psychological or emotional counseling from a mental health professional but were unable to receive it in the past 12 months (The Trevor Project. National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2020)

One-third of youth experience parental acceptance, another third experience parental rejection, and the remaining third do not disclose their sexual orientation even by their late teenage years and early twenties (Katz-Wise, S., Rosario, M. & Tsappis, M. (2016) LGBT Youth and Family Acceptance. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 63, 3: 1011-1025 Retrieved at:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)

In Collier County alone, it is estimated there are as many as 130 homeless LGBTQ+ teens each year. (Calculated based on data from these sources: Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS), 2019. Retrieved from:  https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm | Morton, M.H., Dworsky, A., & Samuels, G.M. (2017). Missed opportunities: Youth homelessness in America. National estimates. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. | Florida Department of Education. District Homeless Record Counts as of 11/18/2020 Retrieved fromhttps://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19996/urlt/2019-2020-Homeless-Student-Counts-ADA-COMPLIANT.pdf

Nearly half of the LGBTQ+ youth out to their parents say that their families make them feel ashamed, worthless, inferior, disgraceful, inadequate for being LGBTQ+ and more than one in four were kicked out after coming out.  LGBTQ+ youth make up an estimated 40% of the youth homeless population, making them twice as likely to experience homelessness as their non-LGBTQ+ peers. (2018 LGBTQ Youth Report, Human Rights Campaign Retrieved from: https://www.hrc.org/resources/2018-lgbtq-youth-report | Invisible People (2021) Homeless Youth. Retrieved from: https://invisiblepeople.tv/)

In shelters, while searching for housing, and on the streets, LGBTQ+ youth may endure traumatic experiences, such as harassment, stigmatization, and abuse from peers and shelter staff as a result of their sexual orientation and/or gender expression. (Kenney, R. R., Fisher, S. K., Grandin, M. E., Hanson, J. B., & Winn, L. P. (2012). Addressing the needs of LGBT youth who are homeless. In S. K. Fisher, J. M. Poirier, & G. M., Blau. (Eds.), Improving emotional & behavioral outcomes for LGBT youth: A guide for professionals (pp. 207–222). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.)