Sussex Pride Housing is proud to support and advocate for LGBTQ+ Youth who are unhoused. We participate in the Safeguard Housing Committee and every year we raise money to support unhoused LGBTQ+ Youth through the raffle at Rehoboth Beach Pride. We have also participated in the annual Point in Time Survey.
This year we are proud to be an official sponsor of the Day for Housing, an annual event organized by Housing Alliance Delaware. This opportunity to meet with Delaware State legislators is an important way to advocate for our community and to share lived experience around homelessness. The event will focus on the priorities of Housing Alliance Delaware, but there will also be opportunities to speak about the intersection of housing issues and our LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ youth are significantly overrepresented in both the homelessness and foster care systems, often due to family rejection or unsafe home environments. Current research indicates that as many as 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, despite making up only about 7–10% of the general youth population. Similarly, within the child welfare system, about 30% of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ+. These figures highlight a stark disparity: LGBTQ+ youth are roughly 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ+ peers and are nearly three times more likely to be in foster care.
Sussex Pride is excited for our growing partnership with Housing Alliance Delaware and we encourage everyone who cares about this issue, especially those with lived experience, to Join us for the Day for Housing in Dover. Housing Alliance Delaware will also be joining us at Rehoboth Beach Pride for a panel discussion on supporting unhoused LGBTQ+ Youth which will be moderated by Spotlight Delaware’s Brianna Hill.
Be sure to register on the Day for Housing Website, but also send an email to dayofhousing@sussexpride.org so we know to look for you!
For more information
- Like Sussex Pride Housing on Facebook
- Follow Sussex Pride Housing on Instagram
- Visit the Sussex Pride Housing Web Page