Homeless transgender people - Caring for
transgender people in hostels
Lisa Mottet and John M. Ohle
Abstract [Full Text] PDF
(310kb)
A GUIDE TO MAKING HOMELESS SHELTERS SAFE FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
This is a .PDF file [adobe
acrobat] For some legal issues contained within it that relate to the USA
can and do differ from the UK - for
the UK see our own legal sections click here!
Homelessness is a crisis. An estimated
3.5 million people experience homelessness each year in the USA alone.
This publication is for
shelters that wish to make their shelters safe for all people by making a
few minor but important policy adjustments. Most emergency and temporary homeless shelters and shelter
systems in the United States are segregated by sex. There are men’s
facilities, women’s facilities, facilities that house both men and women
but in separate quarters, youth facilities, and family facilities.
Placement at most facilities is typically based on assumptions about a
person’s sex—that is, male or female. Many facilities, especially youth
facilities, have rules about gender-related dress or appearance. As a result, transgender youth
and adults, who identify as or express a gender that is different from their birth sex,
can experience extreme difficulties in obtaining adequate and safe shelter.
Citation: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute,
National Coalition for the Homeless
