Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Research and anecdotal evidence indicate that LGBTQ youth are greatly overrepresented among the population of youth experiencing homelessness.  The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) has set a goal and provided guidance for ending homelessness among youth by 2020. Given this federal goal, and the need for understanding effective communitywide strategies for preventing LGBTQ youth homelessness, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative in 2014, in collaboration with four federal partners and the True Colors Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness among youth who are LGBTQ. The initiative’s two objectives include (1) facilitating better local collaboration between stakeholders working with youth and (2) informing national strategies for preventing homelessness among LGBTQ youth.

Two communities serve as pilot sites: Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio and Harris County (Houston), Texas.  Both received in-kind technical assistance (TA) to build their capacity to develop and carry out their local plans. HUD TA was led by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the True Colors Fund and provided distance and on-site TA. In addition, AIR conducted a review of the planning phase that was intended to (1) document how the two communities carried out the planning for their local LGBTQ homelessness prevention initiative, including their processes, tools, and resources used; (2) identify strengths and/or assets for and challenges to the planning process; and (3) identify lessons learned.

In this portion of the panel discussion we will highlight key aspects of the pilot planning and implementation phases, and overall lessons learned for other communities interested in preventing and ending LGBTQ youth homelessness.