Finding Home and Finding Self: Experiences of Homeless LGBTQ+ Individuals

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Featured Scientist: Dr. Peter Matthews (he/him/his), Professor of Social Policy and LGBTQ+ Studies, University of Stirling, UK

A headshot of Dr. Matthews. He is wearing glasses and has light brown hair. He wears a blue striped shirt.

My Research: I research socio-economic inequality in society. I also study how the government responds. My most recent research focuses on the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in the United Kingdom.

Research Goals: I would like to expand my current research to compare the UK with other countries around the world, particularly Europe and North America.

Favorite Thing About Science: Discovering new things!

My Team: I was the Principal Investigator of this research project (project manager). I worked with a Research Assistant and an undergraduate student to complete the project.

Field of Study: Social Policy

What is Social Policy? Social policy is a field of study that tries to understand the best ways that the government can provide services to people in need.

Check Out My Original Paper: “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer experiences of homelessness and identity: insecurity and home(o)normativity”

Citation: Matthews, P., Poyner, C., & Kjellgren, R. (2019). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer experiences of homelessness and identity: insecurity and home (o) normativity. International Journal of Housing Policy, 19(2), 232-253.

Research At A Glance: Twenty-five to forty percent of young people who experience homelessness are also part of the LGBTQ+ community. Many people who study homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community focus on familial rejection, where young people are pushed out of their homes because they identify as LGBTQ+. However, many people don’t think about the agency that homeless people can have. In this research, the authors interviewed young people within the LGBTQ+ community in Scotland to better understand their experiences with homelessness. The authors asked them to tell a story about how they came to be living where they are now. Many participants in the study spoke about how their own choices were a part of them becoming homeless. For many, their queer identity led to conflict and discomfort in their homes. This conflict often presented them with a choice: being who they are or remaining at home. Without the ability to fully express their identity, participants often chose to leave. Several participants also said that when they were able to explore their queer identities outside the home, they were also able to build a new sense of home and find more secure housing. The authors concluded that better welfare and homelessness services designed specifically for LGBTQ+ people could help address the growing issue homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community.

Highlights: Finding people to participate in research like this can be difficult. This is because people experiencing homelessness and those who identify as LGBTQ+ often experience discrimination. The authors had to be careful and creative when they invited people to participate in the study. The authors used three ways to recruit people for the study. Participants were recruited through organizations that served people experiencing homelessness and those that served people within the LGBTQ+ community (Figure 1). Other participants were recruited for the study through posts on social media, such as Twitter and Facebook. Participants were also recruited using the dating app, Grindr. To recruit using the app, one of the authors made a profile saying he was only looking to interview people for a study on the experience of being homeless and LGBTQ+. The authors were able to recruit 20 people to the study.

A cartoon that shows a hostel building, with people working on many different activities. One person is playing guitar, one is on a laptop, and another is cooking barefoot.
Figure 1. Many of the people in this study had different experiences with hostels, where some experienced discomfort because the employees were not accepting of their identities and others chose not to disclose their identities for similar reasons. Therefore, there were very few places where they felt they could be accepted as themselves.

What My Science Looks Like: The authors used a critical realist perspective and queer theory to complete this research. The critical realist perspective states that people who are not accepted by society rarely have the security of a home and the ability to enjoy it as their own private space. Queer theory is a way of looking at the world that challenges the idea that being straight is the correct or only way to live in society. This approach was used to understand the experiences of homelessness in LGBTQ+ community. These perspectives helped the authors see how identifying as LGBTQ+ and experiencing homelessness were related to and influenced by each other. As a part of the interview process, the authors asked the participants tell the story of how they got to their current living situation. This helped give them the opportunity to tell as much or little about their homeless experience as they would like. Interviews with participants were recorded and then written down. The researchers read through each interview and tried to find themes from the interviews. The authors found three key themes: 1) finding spaces to become self and homelessness, 2) lack of security and identity, and 3) home, family, and routes out of homelessness (Figure 2).

An image that conveys the findings of the study. 1) Finding space to become self and homeless - some people found homelessness to be a worthwhile experience because they were able to be themselves. 2) Lack of security and identity - it was sometimes hard for people to find housing because they were not accepted for their identity. 3) Home, family, and routes out of homelessness - some people found support from friends who would house them for long periods of time.
Figure 2. Themes and related ideas that emerged from the interviews asking LGBTQ+ individuals about their experiences with homelessness.

The Big Picture: Recently there have been more public policy conversations about youth homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community. This group of people may be at a higher risk of homelessness because of the unique issues they face. In the past, many social scientists thought that LGBTQ+ homelessness was mostly caused by familial rejection. Instead of looking at homeless LGBTQ+ youth as purely victims of their circumstances, this study looks at the choices that many have had to make between their identity and their home. Although many areas are becoming more accepting of LGBTQ+ identities, there are still many people who do not support people in the LQBTQ+ community. Also, welfare programs for people who are experiencing homelessness do not always exist. It can be very difficult for LGBTQ+ youth who are homeless to receive support during an already vulnerable time – let alone become more confident in their identity. Studies like this one are important for us to understand and try to solve homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community. Many options exist to address this issue. One option recommended by the authors is to expand welfare programs for the homeless. This could include guaranteed housing programs. However, for welfare programs to be effective, it is important to consider and meet the needs of people within the LGBTQ+ community.

Decoding The Language:

Agency: Agency refers to having control over your own actions and decision-making.

Critical realist: Critical realism is a branch of philosophy that distinguishes between the ‘real’ world and the ‘observable’ world. People who hold a critical realist perspective might argue that there are real things going on in society, but that they are very difficult to measure in an objective way. There are many things in society that can affect why a person becomes homeless and it can be difficult to narrow down exactly what those things are because everyone has different experiences and there are different circumstances that can affect their decisions. In research, a critical realist perspective can be used to better understand the topic under study by focusing on certain things. For example, it is important to understand the experiences that people have, to understand what has happened to them, and to understand what caused those things to happen.

Familial rejection: Familial rejection refers to the situation in which a young person’s family does not accept their LGBTQ+ identity, causing conflict and sometimes leading to homelessness.

Housing security: Housing security refers to being able to obtain and maintain safe, adequate, and affordable housing without the fear of displacement or homelessness.

LGBTQ+: LGBTQ+ is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/questioning.

Queer identity: Queer identity refers to someone who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Queer theory: Queer theory is a field of study that examines the nature of sexuality and gender norms, and how society defines the concepts of heterosexuality, homosexuality, and gender and sexual identities.

Social scientists: Social scientists as scholars who study society and social relationships using scientific methods and theories.

Welfare programs: Welfare programs are state or federal programs financial assistance to people or other types of assistance such as help with housing and healthcare. 

Learn More:

A YouTube video produced by Tyler Oakley that explores the reality of LGBTQ+ Homeless Youth.

A brief article from the National Network for Youth that lays out the current state of this issue, including the prevalence of youth homelessness and LGBTQ+ homelessness.

A complete copy of The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act from the National Archives.

A short guide describing critical realism produced by Tom Fryer.

Synopsis edited by Dr. Rosario Marroquín-Flores, Texas Tech University, Department Biological Sciences and Dr. Jayme Walters, Utah State University, Department of Social Work.

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Meet the Authors

Aspen Boyer
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Hi, my name is Aspen Boyer, I am currently a Junior at Utah State University, studying Social Work. I am passionate about helping people and trying to find spaces for everyone to be themselves. I have lived all over the country from the east coast to the west and I love to travel. I spend most of my spare time hanging out with the people I love and watching movies.

Nathan Bohman
A picture of Nathan outside. He has light blonde hair, glasses, and is wearing a blue button-up shirt. He is smiling at the camera.

Hello! I’m Nathan (or Nate) Bohman! I am currently enrolled at Utah State University as a Junior studying social work, and plan on returning to USU after receiving my BSW so I can get an MSW and LCSW. I plan on becoming a therapist to help those with emotional or mental health concerns. When I’m not working or studying social work, I enjoy getting involved in local community theater productions, singing, spending time with friends and family, and spending way too much time on nerdy stuff like Dungeons & Dragons or video games.

DJ Hillier
A picture of D.J. crouching on beach sand. He has dark brown hair and a mustache. He is wearing a blue shirt with stripes on the the bottom.

Hey, my name is DJ Hillier. I am a junior at Utah State University working on my bachelors of social work. I am super passionate about helping people, and social justice. Outside of school I work a full-time job and hang out with my friends and roommates. You can usually catch me watching football, listening to records, or in the gym.

Brayden Rigby
A picture of Brayden outside. He has brown hair and is wearing a checkered blue shirt.

Hello, my name is Brayden Rigby. I am a junior at Utah State University studying social work. I love learning about new concepts and ideas, and exploring what can be changed to make a positive shift in my community. Outside of school and work I am an avid swimmer and runner.

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