Federal help sought for homeless gay, lesbian youth
Associated Press
CINCINNATI
A plan for reducing homelessness among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth will be submitted for federal approval this week by a coalition of Cincinnati groups.
Cincinnati was one of two cities the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development invited to develop such plans, The Cincinnati Enquirer (http://cin.ci/1BrhLrM ) reported. The southwestern Ohio city was chosen partly because of its ability to track homeless youth and because it has a record of building collaboration around the homelessness issue, according to the Enquirer.
The Cincinnati plan to be submitted and released Tuesday calls for raising community awareness about the needs of LGBT youth The newspaper reports that the plan calls for raising community awareness about their needs, improving data collection on sexual orientation, better screening to see which youth are likely to become homeless and increased support for stable housing, education, employment and well-being of LGBT youth.
The group of 15 local organizations submitting the plan includes Hamilton County Job and Family Services, the Cincinnati Police Department and the Lighthouse Youth Advisory Council. If approved, the plan would be implemented beginning in October.
The federal department was closed for the weekend, and officials didn't immediately respond to a message left seeking comment.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth make up 5 percent to 7 percent of all youth nationally, but as much as 20 percent to 40 percent of the country's 600,000-plus homeless youth, according to the newspaper. Some studies show that half of those who reveal their homosexuality get a negative response from their families, and more than a fourth of them are kicked out of their homes.