A Safe Home for Every LGBTQI Child and Young Person
New IGLYO & FEANTSA Joint Policy Report on LGBTQI Housing Exclusion and Homelessness in Europe
IGLYO and FEANTSA have published a new joint report examining housing exclusion and homelessness among LGBTQI people across Europe, with a particular focus on children and young people.
Titled A Safe Home for Every LGBTQI Child and Young Person, the report brings together civil society findings to inform the Council of Europe’s 2026–2027 thematic review of the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5, focusing on housing, homelessness and protection from discrimination. Drawing on contributions from 82 organisations and networks, with findings covering 29 Council of Europe member States, the report highlights persistent gaps in policies, services and protections that prevent LGBTQI people from accessing safe, adequate and inclusive housing.
The report finds that LGBTQI inclusion remains insufficiently addressed in housing and homelessness policies across Europe, with existing equality strategies often lacking concrete measures, adequate funding and effective monitoring. It highlights how family rejection, violence, discrimination in housing and employment, economic insecurity and barriers to support services can combine to increase the risk of homelessness, particularly for LGBTQI children and young people and those facing intersecting forms of discrimination. Mainstream housing and homelessness services also frequently lack the training, resources and safeguards needed to provide safe and inclusive support.
In response, the report calls on public authorities to integrate LGBTQI inclusion into housing and equality policies, strengthen prevention and early intervention, adequately fund mainstream and specialised services, improve data collection and accountability, and ensure the meaningful participation of LGBTQI people, especially children and young people, in decision-making.
Ultimately, the report highlights that access to safe and adequate housing is not simply a housing issue, but a matter of dignity, equality and human rights.
Our Key Results
Housing exclusion is structural and cumulative.
Family rejection and violence interact with poverty, discrimination in education and employment, inaccessible housing markets and gaps in welfare support. The scoping analysis explains these interconnected pathways; survey respondents describe their consequences across family homes, rental housing, institutions and services.
Temporary stays with friends, repeated moves and remaining in unsafe homes can conceal serious housing insecurity. Young people may avoid services because they anticipate discrimination or have previously experienced harm. A focus on rough sleeping alone misses opportunities for earlier support.
Formal protection does not ensure safety in practice.
Both analyses identify a gap between recognition in laws or strategies and effective implementation. Respondents describe limited prevention, inconsistent safeguards and services without the training, resources or coordination needed to provide appropriate support. The existence of accommodation does not establish that it is safe or accessible.
Children and young people need specific responses.
Dependence on family resources and transitions out of care can leave young people with few alternatives when support ends. Leaving home can be a survival response to abuse and rejection, and returning may be unsafe or unwanted. Protection must respond to that reality.
Exclusion is unequal, and support must reflect this.
Trans and non-binary people, intersex people, migrants and asylum seekers, racialised people and disabled people face distinct and overlapping barriers. Community organisations provide important expertise and support, but cannot compensate indefinitely for gaps in public provision. Sustainable responses require both inclusive mainstream services and specialised support.
About IGLYO
IGLYO — The International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation is the world’s largest network dedicated to LGBTQI young people and their rights.
They represent the voice of over 150 Member Organisations in 40 countries across the European region. They advance the rights of LGBTQI young people, advocate for their equality and inclusion, empower their voices, and connect them across borders through international events, capacity-building training, thematic research, advocacy, awareness-raising campaigns, network building, regranting, and intersectional community dialogues.
For further information, please reach out to Rú Ávila Rodríguez, PhD (they/them), Deputy Executive Director, email hidden; JavaScript is required