At Risk and Homeless in the United States: How Women and LGBTQ+ Individuals Experience Homelessness
Date of Award
Spring 2019
Thesis Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Honors Bachelor of Arts
Sponsor
Steven Schoen, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Denise Cummings, Ph.D.
Committee Member
David Painter, Ph.D.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to expound the experiences of women and LGBTQ+ individuals upon entering, enduring, and exiting periods of homelessness. Through an in-depth literature review on the existing research pertaining to women and the LGBTQ+ community experiencing homelessness, as well as an examination of current legislation and funding distribution, the text presents a thorough structural analysis. This analysis explores the key financial, social, and political structures that affect their experiences and is accompanied by evidence from numerous in-depth interviews with various experts. The interviewees include leaders in the homeless services non-profit sector, an academic whose focus is in the sociology of homelessness, an elected representative for the Florida Legislator, and individuals who either have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. The research shows that there are deeply embedded systemic inequities that cause women and LGBTQ+ individuals to experience homelessness differently than a person without these identities. High rates of violence against women and LGBTQ+ people, unreliable funding for women’s and LGBTQ+ services, lack of culturally competent support from institutions such as school and shelters, familial rejection, and systemic financial insecurity all play a role in further disadvantaging homeless women and LGBTQ+ people. It was found that culturally competent care, an expansion of resources (including funding for staff, shelters, counseling, trainings, etc.), and implementing preventative education are the most effective methods to address homelessness for women and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Recommended Citation
Dominguez, Lya, "At Risk and Homeless in the United States: How Women and LGBTQ+ Individuals Experience Homelessness" (2019). Honors Program Theses. 84.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/honors/84
Rights Holder
Lya Dominguez