A safe space, using interior design

to help homeless LGBT youth

Nate Rainer
INTA402 | Senior Studio I
August 15, 2018
 Can you imagine
being 14 or 16 years
old, you just
expressed to your
A question family you are gay or
transgender and the
next moment you
find yourself
homeless?
  More than 1 out of 4 are kicked out after
coming out to their family (Our Issue)
LGBT YOUTH
HOMELESSNESS
STATISTICS

Fig. 1
 Variable LGBT Heterosexual
(%) (%)
Pathway to homelessness
Alcohol/Drugs 9.8 5.9
Mental Illness 5.4 2.0
Runaway 3.3 3.3
Family Violence 20.7 28.6
Kicked Out of Home* 32.6 19.7
Child Welfare Problems
Length of time homeless
7.6 6.4
COMPARING LGBT AND
Less than one month 15.4 13.3
One month to one year 52.7 59.6 HETEROSEXUAL
More than one year 31.9 27.1
Individual Trauma
Child abuse 66.3 57.6
HOMELESSNESS
Sexual violence as child** 39.1 23.2
Sex Trafficking* 32.6 21.2
Trauma while homeless** 51.1 34.0
Robbed/something stolen 69.7 63.0
Exposure to Violence 66.3 57.6
Home 39.1 23.2
Neighborhood 32.6 21.2
Mental Health
Social Support
Ever experienced mental 44.6 37.1
Family members 47.1 57.0
health problems
Friends same age 66.7 59.5
Indicators of serious mental 33.0 35.5
Adult friends* 69.0 54.8
illness Professional 44.8 33.5
Risk Behaviors
Alcohol use past year* 70.3 52.2
Marijuana use past year 73.6 66.5
Other drugs past year 18.9 17.8 Fig. 2
Unprotected intercourse 56.8 63.8 Identify street family 55.2 49.0
LGB YOUTH
NEEDS

Fig. 3
TRANSGENDER
YOUTH NEEDS

Fig. 4
 Fig. 5

• Jacksonville-60% homeless are

WATSON LGBTQ
INTERVIEW • Cindy Watson, Direction of JASYMN
• 2017-78 young people need housing
• 42% of them placed in permanent
supportive housing
 • Amy kicked out at age of 18 due to coming
out as gay
• Used JASYMN Pantry to obtain food and
JASYMN YOUTH hygiene products
IN THEIR OWN • Located housing
WORDS • Worked at JASYMN
• Graduating with degree in journalism
• JASYMN’s support allowed her succeed
 Fig. 6

ALI FORNEY • LGBT resource center in NYC

• Named after gender non-conforming
CENTER • Largest agency dedicated to LGBT homeless
youth in the country
• 24-hour drop-in center
• Provide meals, medical and mental health
services, scattered housing options
 • Home like apartments in Queens and
Brooklyn
• Currently 52 beds
ALI FORNEY • Last 1 to 6 months

EMERGENCY
HOUSING

Fig. 7
 • 54 beds
• Shared apartments throughout Manhattan
and Brooklyn
• Up to two years
• Maintain employment
• Learning Independence Empowerment
ALI FORNEY workshops
TRANSITIONAL • Coaches
HOUSING
PROGRAM

Fig. 8
 • Grew up in the South
• One of six boys of a minister
• Favorite activity-cooking with his mom
Martin’s Story •
•
Age 14 realized he was gay
Became withdrawn and depressed
• Finds the Ali Forney Center
• Prays for family’s acceptance
 Fig. 9

• 13 to 24 year old youth

• Whatcom and Skagit counties, Washington
State
NORTHWEST • Emergency Housing for 13 to 17 year old-
PAD
YOUTH • Emergency Housing for 18 to 24 year old-
SERVICES HUSLY
• Transitional Housing
• Permanent Housing
 Based on my research, LGBT youth are more likely to
experience homelessness than their heterosexual
counterparts. Since there is no federal protections or
guidelines for assisting LGBT youth, traditional agencies
are not equipped to assist LGBT you. State agencies and
LGBT organization must educate and provide support
for homeless youth. Metropolitan areas have locations

Conclusion that can provide those services, however, these services

are needed beyond the major metropolitan areas. Rural
areas are lacking in providing those services. Creating a
universal plan for housing options can help rural areas
build or renovate housing options to house LGBT youth.
These spaces would help create a feeling of safety and
protection for LGBT youth that are experiencing
homelessness.
 Figures Cited

Figure 1: 40-Percent-of-Homeless-Youth-Identify-as-LGBT [Digital image]. (2015, April). Retrieved

August 5, 2018, from https://truecolorsfund.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/40-Percent-of-
Homeless-Youth-Identify-as-LGBT.png

Figure 2: Needs-of-LGBQ-Youth [Digital image]. (2015, April). Retrieved August 5,

2018, from https://truecolorsfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Needs-of-
LGBQ-Youth.png

Figure 3: Needs-of-LGBQ-Youth [Digital image]. (2015, April). Retrieved August 5,

2018, from https://truecolorsfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Needs-of-
LGBQ-Youth.png

Figure 5: JASMYN [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5, 2018, from

http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wjct/files/styles/x_large/public/201511/JASMYNFinalL
ogo.png

Figure 6: Ali Forney [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5, 2018, from
https://www.aliforneycenter.org/_aliforney/includes/themes/Foundation/images/logo.png
 Figures Cited

Figure 7. Ali Forney Emergency Housing [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5, 2018,
from https://www.aliforneycenter.org/_aliforney/assets/Image/afc47.jpg

Figure 8. Ali Forney Transitional Housing Program [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5,
2018, from https://www.aliforneycenter.org/_aliforney/assets/Image/afc52.jpg

Figure 9. Northwest Youth Services [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5, 2018, from
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/adb3dd_f7c8943437e5457e9e48acf8e7f8ba5d~mv2.png/
v1/fill/w_395,h_88,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/adb3dd_f7c8943437e5457e9e48acf8e7f8b
a5d~mv2.webp
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