Homelessness and Sexual Identity Among Middle School Students

Introduction:  Recent high school studies show that sexual minority youth have a higher annual incidence of homeless experiences than their heterosexual peers.  However, it is unknown if middle school students experience the same homelessness prevalence. Middle school students are in early adolescence and the context of sexual identity is different from middle school to high school. It cannot be assumed that results found in high school youth can hold to middle school. The purpose of this presentation is to assess how many middle school youth experienced homelessness in the prior 12 months, and whether homelessness was related to sexual orientation.

Method:  A supplemental survey to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey containing questions regarding their past year homelessness experiences was administered to a random sample of Los Angeles Unified School District sixth to eighth grade students (N=1,186).  Bivariate logistic regressions were conducted to assess the associations between identifying as a sexual minority (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning [LGBTQ]) with the likelihood of staying in a shelter, on the streets, or staying with strangers.

Results: Overall, 23% of heterosexual and 29% of LGBTQ youth experienced at least one night of homelessness in the prior 12 months.  LGBTQ youth were more likely to spend the night on the streets. LGBTQ youth were four times more likely to sleep on the streets (95% CI: 1.92, 8.39) and three times more likely to stay with a stranger (95% CI: 1.19, 7.30).  There was no significant relationship between sexual identity and staying in a shelter.

Implications:  These results have important policy and programmatic implications. Our results indicate that sexual minority youth experience more homelessness and are more likely to spend the night on the streets. Previous research suggests that sexual minority youth may be reluctant to use shelters because they might perceive greater stigma and discrimination at these sites.  However, high school data indicates that shelters are protective for youth experiencing homelessness. These results suggest that sexual identity does impact the risk of sleeping on the streets for youth between sixth and eighth grade. School employees (teachers, staff, counselors, and principals) should discuss with any students who are at risk of homelessness about nearby services and shelters.  Middle school students themselves should be targeted and made of aware of homelessness resources in case they or one of their peers is at risk.  Moreover, homeless service agency staff should work to reduce any real or perceived barriers in regards to discrimination and discuss these potential barriers with any young adolescents encountered during outreach.