Housing & Homelessness

One in five transgender people in the United States has been discriminated against when seeking a home. One in ten has been evicted from their homes because of their gender identity. Unfortunately, general lack of awareness has contributed to continued discrimination, eviction and homelessness of transgender people in the United States. Strong, explicit legal protection from gender identity discrimination, including at the state and local levels, is still needed.

Homelessness is a critical issue for transgender people, and one in five transgender individuals have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Family rejection and discrimination and violence have contributed to a large number of transgender and other LGBQ-identified youth who are homeless in the United States. Indeed, up to 40% of the 4.2 million youth experiencing homelessness are LGBTQ+. Unfortunately, social services and homeless shelters that work with this population often fail to serve transgender homeless people, including denying them shelter based on their gender identity, inappropriately housing them in a gendered space they do not identify with, and failing to address co-occurring issues facing transgender homeless adults and youth.

A4TE helps ensure transgender people know their rights if they do face discrimination, and works with state and federal agencies to ensure that our community is treated fairly in housing and in homeless services.