A quarter of homeless youths in UK are LGBT, study says

A quarter of homeless youths in the UK identify as LGBT, a shocking new report has found.

The study by the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) – a charity which seeks to help LGBT youth suffering from, or at risk of, homelessness – examined the experiences of homeless youths aged 16-25 who identify as LGBT, and issued a survey consisting of 36 questions to 473 housing providers across England, Scotland and Wales.

Image: Albert Kennedy Trust

The report found that LGBT youth – who are more likely to find themselves homeless than their non-LGBT peers – currently make up 24% of the homeless youth population in the UK.

Of these, 77% said that their sexual orientation was a causal factor in their rejection from the family home.

69% cited parental rejection due to their sexuality as a reason for their homelessness, while other causal factors included physical, emotional and sexual abuse (69%) and aggression or viloence within the family (62%).

The study also found that homeless LGBT youth were more likely to suffer from sexual exploitation, mental health issues, homophobic bullying and substance abuse problems.

Tim Sigsworth, CEO of the Albert Kennedy Trust said: “After 25 years witnessing the rejection and abuse of LGBT youth just for being brave enough to come out to their peers and family, this report is a much-needed call to action for government, housing providers, and everyone concerned with young peoples’ wellbeing.

“Making a number of specific, achievable and cost-effective recommendations we hope to help others prevent lifetimes of youth homelessness and its enduring impact on mental, physical and emotional health.”

For more information about the Albert Kennedy Trust visit akt.org.uk

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