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Out on the Street
by Chris Hayhurst, 08.08.06
"It's a matter of ending the harassment and rejection, of helping them do what it takes to get back on their feet." |
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Not long ago, 16-year-old Miguel (not his real name) fled his home in Mexico for the United States. For years, he suffered horrific physical and emotional abuse from nearly everyone in his community — including his family — because he is gay. So he decided to leave home. He raised enough money to pay for a trip to New York, where his uncle was waiting for him. He thought he'd be safe.
"Soon after he arrived in New York, Miguel's parents called the uncle and told him he was gay," says Susan Hazeldean, staff attorney and coordinator of the Peter Cicchino Youth Project, a legal services program for LGBT youth in New York City. "The uncle threw him out on the streets. And there he was, in a country that he didn't know, where he didn't speak the language. He was entirely alone."
Runaways at Risk
It's difficult to say exactly how many LGBT teens, like Miguel, wind up homeless. Most estimates suggest that anywhere from 25 to 40 percent of homeless youth in the U.S. identify as LGBT. Many find themselves homeless after being kicked out of their homes by their family because of their sexual orientation. Others run away from home or foster care services to escape harassment and physical abuse.
Surveys have found that homeless LGBT youth are far more likely to be victims of violence than straight teens. They're also more likely to suffer from mental illness, HIV infection, and substance abuse. Their numbers, their vulnerability, and their specific needs when it comes to finding a way off the street, says Hazeldean, make the task of eliminating LGBT youth homelessness particularly challenging. "In New York, we're fortunate to have a lot of resources for LGBT youth," she says. "But in many other parts of the country, the support isn't there."
Getting Help
The Peter Cicchino Youth Project, for its part, has helped thousands of New York City's homeless LGBT youth access government benefits, find new homes, and go back to school. The project offers free drop-in legal clinics where professionals like Hazeldean counsel teens one-on-one. It also advocates for improved treatment of LGBT youth in the foster care and juvenile detention systems, where many homeless teens end up. Ultimately, the program works to ensure that LGBT teens are safe, stable, and headed for better times.
Consider Miguel. Several months after he was thrown out by his uncle, he met someone who steered him toward the Youth Project. There he received counseling and information on the resources available to him. "He was really able to turn things around," says Hazeldean. "We helped him apply for asylum, and that enabled him to get a work permit so he could find a legal job. We also hooked him up with a transitional living program that provides free housing while he looks for work. Now he's working really hard to learn English and get back to school."
Hazeldean says she sees a lot of LGBT kids just like Miguel. "They really just need some stability, a safe place they can sleep where they know people care about them. It's a matter of ending the harassment and rejection, of helping them do what it takes to get back on their feet."
In addition to the Peter Cicchino Youth Project, the National Youth Advocacy Coalition and the GLBT National Help Center help homeless LGBT teens get counseling, health care, and other services. And the National Runaway Switchboard (1-800-RUNAWAY) is a good resource for all homeless and runaway teens, or for teens who are thinking of leaving home. |
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