Rising demand for safe LGBTQ+ housing as homelessness crisis worsens

A report by LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall Housing has revealed an increase in demand for its services as the UK’s homelessness crisis deepens.

The charity provides housing advice, advocacy and support for LGBTQ+ people who have nowhere to live or are at risk of being made homeless.

The report, published on Monday (18 November), revealed a 33 per cent increase in demand for the charity’s services between April 2023 and March 2024, with 3,202 LGBTQ+ individuals now being given help.

Figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local government revealed that in the year 2023–2024, more than 320,000 households were facing homelessness – the highest number on record – while on a given night in autumn last year, 3,898 people were sleeping rough across England: an increase of 27 per cent on the previous 12 months. 

The government has promised to build 1.5 million new homes and prioritise social-rent properties to tackle the crisis, the Big Issue reported.

LGBTQ+ discrimination found to be the highest driver of homelessness

Among the findings of the Stonewall Housing report was that LGBTQ+ discrimination and family rejection were the highest driver of homelessness, and 27 per cent of all cases reported involved instances of abuse. The cost-of-living crisis was also found to have worsened the situation. 

The report detailed the experiences of a pansexual man, named only as Ollie, who was seeking housing after facing domestic abuse in the wake of his coming out. 

“I’ve been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and I also have mental-health problems. My mum thought I was just confused and couldn’t actually be pan,” he said.

Ollie was found emergency accommodation and is now settled in longer-term housing. He hopes to be able to repair the relationship with his mother. 

‘You have been a good backbone of support’

An anonymous trans woman in her twenties experienced financial abuse and coercive control in her home. She reached out to Stonewall Housing to seek alternative accommodation away from her mother.

“You have been a good backbone of support I can count on and if anything ever goes wrong I know who to call,” she told the charity.

And a bisexual man was helped navigate his feelings after being outed to his family in February 2021. Having slept in his car for three weeks, he is now sharing a flat in London and working in a bike shop, thanks to the charity’s work.

“It feels like the world is slowly opening up again to me,” he said. “Without Stonewall Housing, I’d still be sleeping in my car. They turned it around for me.” 

‘Stonewall Housing offers vital support’

John Stubbs, the director of services at Stonewall Housing, said: “The cost-of-living crisis has placed LGBTQ+ individuals who face family rejection, or are expelled from their homes, at even greater risk of homelessness.

“Many encounter violence and workplace hostility, leading to unsafe or unstable living conditions. Stonewall Housing offers vital support through advocacy, shelter and tailored emergency assistance.”

More information is available at stonewallhousing.org. 

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