New Report: Portland’s Houseless-Services System is Failing LGBTQ+ People
The report reveals numerous gaps in the houseless-services system that continue to drive disproportionate houselessness among Portland’s LGBTQ+ Community.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, OR — A coalition of Portland nonprofits that serve or advocate for unhoused LGBTQAI2S+ people, including leading LGBTQAI2S+ groups like Basic Rights Oregon and Pride Northwest, today released a first-of-its-kind report on houselessness among transgender and queer people in the Portland area.
Commissioned by the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS), the report comes as anti-LGBTQAI2S+ legislation in many states is causing an estimated 130,000-260,000 trans and queer people to relocate to safer states like Oregon. Many members of this population face barriers to housing. However, the new report found that, “despite Oregon and Portland’s Pride Flag–waving reputation, our community is not well prepared to welcome these newcomers.” It highlighted numerous gaps in the houseless-services system, including that:
● Data on sexual orientation is not collected as part of houselessness data, even though national data shows lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people are over twice as likely as straight people to experience houselessness.
● There are no LGBTQAI2S+ culturally specific emergency shelters in the Portland region. In addition, many local shelters are gendered (i.e., designated for men or women), which can result in discrimination and a lack of safety for trans and non-binary clients.
● Despite the over-representation of LGBTQAI2S+ people among people experiencing houselessness, there are not enough culturally specific or responsive houseless services for this population. For example, JOHS only funds one queer culturally specific organization to provide housing case management.
The report makes a number of recommendations to address these gaps, calling on policymakers to build capacity among LGBTQAI2S+ service-providers and hold mainstream providers accountable for serving LGBTQAI2S+ people in an affirming manner. “With thousands of trans and queer people potentially seeking refuge in Oregon and adding to existing demand, policymakers need to think much more about the unique needs of our communities when they think about housing and homelessness,” said Seth Johnstone, a coalition member and manager of the Transgender Justice Program at Basic Rights Oregon.
The coalition that produced the report, collectively known as the LGBTQAI2S+ Housing Collaborative, includes Basic Rights Oregon, Black & Beyond the Binary Collective, Cascade AIDS Project, Friendly House, the Marie Equi Institute, Pride Northwest, Quest Center for Integrative Health, and Rahab’s Sisters.
For more information, please contact either of the following:
Jonathan Frochtzwajg (Cascade AIDS Project) - 503.278.3852 | jfrochtzwajg@capnw.org
Katie Cox (Marie Equi Institute) - 971.601.4055 | katie@equi-institute.org
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1985 as the Cascade AIDS Project, CAP is the oldest and largest community-based provider of HIV services, housing, education and advocacy in Oregon and Southwest Washington. We promote well-being and advance equity by providing inclusive health and wellness services for LGBTQ+ people, people affected by HIV, and all those seeking compassionate care. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017. And in 2022, Our House of Portland joined the CAP family to further expand our service offerings and allow us to offer a full lifecycle of care to our community. To learn more about CAP, please visit www.capnw.org