LGBTQ+ Homeless Youth: What We Need to Do

LGBTQ+ Homeless Youth: What We Need to Do
By: Lilia Alcazar

Generally in discussions of homelessness in Sonoma County the LGBTQ+ community is mostly ignored. As someone who believes that everyone deserves the right to live comfortably in housing, it pains me to see the LGBTQ+ youth population get completely overlooked and ignored. Research has even shown that those who identify as LGBTQ+ have a 120% higher risk of experiencing some form of homelessness, according to the National Network for Youth. So, why aren’t we doing anything about it? Why have we not seen any progress in California counties? I not only want to see change for LGBTQ+, I want to see change for the BIPOC community as well. What I hope to see in the future is laws that prohibit discrimination access to housing/services and increased funding for those services, so we can work together to make change happen. Our communities deserve to feel welcome no matter who you are and where you came from. I will go through my career and I promise to make sure I will protect every individual because it is what I believe in.