Allies in Action panhandles for LGBTQ homeless youth

Up to 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ.

By Eva Dou

Published March 6, 2009

Monica Wolff held out an empty cup and pointed to her cardboard sign: "Will Work 4 Equality."

Wolff was one of the students panhandling on Lowry Mall on Thursday to raise awareness about homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth.

Allies in Action organized the event, and members passed out 1,000 red flyers with statistics about LGBTQ youth homelessness.

Dan Williams, an ally, said the most jarring statistic was that as many as 40 percent of homeless youth self identify as LGTBQ. Many of them are kicked out of their houses after coming out.

"From what I've learned, the generous estimate of the LGBTQ population is approximately 10 percent of the general population," Williams said. "That difference of 30 percent is what I found most surprising and sobering."

Jasmine Cross, who was passing out flyers, said she didn't personally know any LGBTQ homeless youth, but she knew one boy who wanted to leave home after he came out because his father made life difficult for him.

"We're mostly here just to spread knowledge about the issue," she said, as she waved the red quarter sheets.

The flyers also reported that 78 percent of LGBTQ youth face harassment or abuse after being placed in out-of-home care.

Allies President Lance Pierce said the flyers went fast and raised questions.

"Everyone's been really shocked at the statistics," Pierce said. "It's been generating a lot of conversation."

Several of the Allies sported red "ICare" T-shirts, which Pierce said were designed to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ community and its allies.

Allies in Action had originally planned to donate the money they raised to a shelter geared toward LGBTQ youth, but Pierce said there aren't any local ones. The group decided to donate the money to the Columbia-based Center Project, a community space and resource center for the mid-Missouri LGBTQ community.

Dan Forsberg, a staff member at the Columbia youth shelter Sol House, said some of the main challenges facing homeless youth are regaining stability and finding a job.

"From the residents who have identified as LGBTQ, their struggles are just like any other homeless kid," Forsberg said. "They need stability, they need housing, they need to learn life skills. The struggle is essentially the same."

Sol House's parent organization, Rainbow House, gets two to three phone calls a month from homeless teenagers who have either been abused or kicked out. A Rainbow House study in 2007 found 17 homeless youths aged 16-21 in Boone County.

Pierce said members of Allies in Action became interested in youth homelessness in December when a local LGBTQ support group sponsored a scarf drive for LGBTQ homeless youth. The Columbia chapter of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays sent the donations to a Chicago LGBTQ community center.

Wolff, the Allies in Action secretary, said members of the group had originally wanted to follow in PFLAG's footsteps by donating scarves, but later decided on the panhandling campaign.