As part of the 2018 study, Wilder Research analyzed a subset of the overall population: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people experiencing homelessness.
11% of people interviewed for the 2018 Minnesota Homeless Study identified as LGBTQ
Out of the more than 4,000 people interviewed for the 2018 study, 440 respondents, or 11%, identified as LGBTQ. The percentage of all Minnesotans who identify as LGBT is 4%, suggesting that LGBTQ people are over-represented in the Minnesota homeless population. A total of 67 respondents identified as transgender or gender queer (2% of all homeless respondents; 15% of LGBTQ respondents).
The proportion of homeless respondents identifying as LGBTQ varied by age. Out of all homeless youth age 24 and younger, 23% identified as LGBTQ. Comparatively, 9% of all homeless adults age 25-54 identified as LGBTQ, and 3% of all homeless adults age 55 and older identified as LGBTQ.
Overall, those who identified as LGBTQ reported similar reasons as non-LGBTQ respondents for leaving their last permanent housing; the most common were related to financial and interpersonal issues. LGBTQ respondents said they lost their last permanent housing because:
Similar to the non-LGBTQ homeless population, 68% of LGBTQ respondents identified as African American, Native American, Hispanic, Multiracial, or Asian, meaning that there is an overrepresentation of Indigenous and people of color within the homeless population, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Higher proportions of LGBTQ Indigenous and people of color had spent the night on public transportation in the past 12 months (40%, compared to 29% of White LGBTQ people experiencing homelessness) or had been turned away from shelter in the past three months because it was full (39%, compared to 30% of LGBTQ White people).
Almost all LGBTQ youth (94%) reported at least one adverse childhood experience (ACEs; 81% of LGBTQ adults) and 70% had three or more ACEs (58% of LGBTQ adults). Especially prevalent ACEs were having a parent or guardian with mental health issues and witnessing abuse of another family member.
Homeless respondents who identify as LGBTQ were more likely than non-LGBTQ respondents to report each type of violence, abuse, and sexual exploitation measured on the survey. This violence is both a cause of homelessness and can be a result of the unsafe situations in which homeless people often need to stay.
Eighty-two percent of LGBTQ respondents under age 20 reported having an adult in their life who they can trust and talk with about their problems. This was similar to the 76% of non-LGBTQ youth who reported having a trusted adult. For the LGBTQ youth under age 20 who reported there was an adult in their life they could trust, this individual was most commonly reported to be a friend or partner (36%).
Read findings from people who identified as LGBTQ during the 2018 Minnesota Homeless Study.
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