2SLGBTQ+ adults who experience homelessness face unique barriers to accessing safe places to live, including homophobia and transphobia in the private housing market. This is exacerbated by discriminatory policies in emergency shelters and services for the broader homeless population. My research demonstrates the importance of tailored housing and supports designed specifically for this community, along with the continued need for sector-wide changes to address population-based challenges.
2SLGBTQ+ Adult Homelessness in Toronto
Research has found that there are disproportionate rates of homelessness among the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This holds true in Toronto, where 12% of those experiencing homelessness and 23% of youth aged 16-24 staying in city-administered sites self-identify as 2SLGBTQ+. By contrast, 6% of the city’s general adult population self-identifies as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
Despite the elevated rates of homelessness among 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in Toronto, there are limited resources available for them, especially adults. Of the 49 emergency shelter locations on the City of Toronto’s website, only two are specific to 2SLGBTQ+ people.
Tailored Housing in Toronto
Tailored services cater to specific groups or subpopulations. Tailored housing for 2SLGBTQ+ adults experiencing homelessness can offer more specialized services by exclusively supporting members of this community. These services often hire staff from the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies. Through this work, they can develop a deep level of understanding about how to most effectively address population-level challenges, which could help mediate housing-related barriers for their clients.
Organizations that recognize the distinct needs of unhoused 2SLGBTQ+ adults have been established in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). These include:
- LOFT – Supportive housing for 18+ transgender and gender diverse individuals
- Pacewood – Emergency shelter for 2SLGBTQ+ newcomers to Canada who arrived as refugees
- Fife House – Supportive housing and support services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS
Case Study: LOFT Community Services
LOFT Community Services has been offering tailored housing services for transgender and gender non-conforming adults experiencing chronic challenges with homelessness, mental health, and/or substance use since 2017. Permanent supportive housing options are available in an 18-bedroom rooming house with 24/7 staffing, as well as in a lower support 5-bedroom cooperative house. They have housed 48 individuals since opening, connecting 26 people to trans-affirmative primary care, and hiring 14 transgender and gender non-conforming staff to support the sites. LOFT takes an integrative approach to care, and these housing programs offer a range of services including residential supports, intensive case management, life enrichment, harm reduction, and eviction prevention.
LOFT has tailored housing to meet the needs of transgender clients by focusing on gender affirming healthcare through initiatives that pay for private therapists and link clients to primary care providers, highlighting community building through enrichment activities affirming spaces, ensuring workforce excellence through tailored training and the use of consultants with lived experience, and providing justice oriented leadership that focuses on allyship and providing trauma informed supervision and supports to frontline staff. LOFT continues to advocate in the sector for increased 2SLGBTQ+ housing sites and diversified supports within these sites to meet the significant need observed in the community.
2SLGBTQ+ Clients’ Perspectives
As a visiting researcher at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, I conducted research examining homelessness within the 2SLGBTQ+ adult community. In collaboration with LOFT BLOOM, LOFT Layered Supports, the 519’s Pacewood Shelter, and Fife House, I interviewed 20 individuals 24 years and older who self-identified as 2SLGBTQ+ and had experienced, or were currently experiencing, homelessness in Toronto. All participants were recruited from our partnering community organizations.
Participants shared their experiences navigating Toronto’s homelessness and housing sector. In this blog, I discuss their perspectives at both sites not specific to 2SLGBTQ+ clients and tailored sites. Although previous research has reported that unhoused 2SLGBTQ+ individuals largely face adverse conditions at non-tailored sites, participants’ recounts of their time at sites that did not cater to the 2SLGBTQ+ community were mixed.
Sites Not Specific to 2SLGBTQ+ Clients
Benefits:
- Allyship and acceptance – Participants shared that both staff members and other clients stood up for them, demonstrating that homophobia and transphobia would not be tolerated. In some cases, this allyship contributed to meaningful connections between 2SLGBTQ+ clients and non-2SLGBTQ+ clients. One participant shared an unexpected act of allyship that later led to the formation of a friendship:
“So it was like you are publicly talking to me? Someone was basically attacking me for my sexuality here at the shelter, and he stood up for me, and I was like, ‘Wow’.”
- Other 2SLGBTQ+ clients – Developing connections with other 2SLGBTQ+ clients was described as mutually beneficial for clients. Participants described instances where they engaged in advocacy for other 2SLGBTQ+ residents or were the beneficiaries of mutual aid support.
Challenges:
- Discrimination from staff members and other clients – Participants reported facing or observing discrimination from both staff members and other clients. Discrimination primarily took the form of homophobia and transphobia, but threats and racial epithets were also reported.
- Lack of safety – The presence of discriminatory behaviour and language, particularly from staff members, contributed to clients feeling unsafe. Participants reported a reticence to disclose their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in these spaces. As one transgender participant shared:
“I would just pretend that I was cis pretty much. My hair at the time was short, so it was a bit easier.”
Tailored Sites
Participants appreciated specialized services due to an increased sense of safety and overall acceptance. However, they still reported facing challenges and called for service delivery improvements while praising other aspects of the program.
Benefits:
- Understanding and Helpful Staff – Participants frequently praised staff for their treatment of residents, which reinforced cultural norms of acceptance. Transgender participants felt comfortable with both transgender and cisgender staff members and felt all staff were suitably knowledgeable about 2SLGBTQ+ topics. They also appreciated staff members’ support in helping them manage mental health challenges.
- Residents with similar backgrounds – The presence of other 2SLGBTQ+-identifying clients was also described as a benefit. Participants felt they could be more open about their experiences than they could at non-queer-centric sites.
Challenges:
- Discrimination – Although clients overwhelmingly felt supported, some shared instances of facing discrimination at sites specific to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Two participants felt mistreated due to their country of origin, and another expressed disappointment with staff still misgendering clients.
- Isolation and Loneliness – A common sentiment across all sites was the difficulty clients had establishing social connections with other residents. One participant described making efforts to organize weekly gatherings but found it challenging to garner consistent interest. Lack of regular interaction with others led to some feeling isolated and lonely.
Recommendations
My research findings show that tailored housing is crucial for 2SLGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness. However, sites that are not specific to this community can also offer a respite from the discrimination 2SLGBTQ+ people may face elsewhere. Participants emphasized the need for leadership to:
- Understand the kinds of support clients need most,
- Empower staff to practice allyship at all levels, and
- Formalize anti-discrimination policies that reflect clients’ diverse identities.
At a system-wide level, housing clients should follow principles that honour client choice and agency. The Housing First model may be especially appropriate for 2SLGBTQ+ adults. At the same time, more affordable and diverse forms of housing are urgently needed in Toronto.
Upcoming Updates
Check this webpage for updates with links to our presentation at CAEH24, the full report based on my research, and the paper following publication.