Homeless in Europe Magazine Spring 2023 - Pride: Homelessness in the LGBTIQ Community
In 2017, FEANTSA published our last magazine on LGBTIQ homelessness, which was the launch pad for an amazing new area of work for our network. A lot has changed in that time, which paints two contrasting stories on LGBTIQ rights in Europe.
Overview
In 2017, FEANTSA published our last magazine on LGBTIQ homelessness, which was the launch pad for an amazing new area of work for our network. A lot has changed in that time, which paints two contrasting stories on LGBTIQ rights in Europe.
On the one hand Europe is becoming a more dangerous place for LGBTIQ people. According to ILGA Europe, 2022 was the most violent year in Europe for LGBTIQ people in over a decade, with rising attacks, murders and two terrorist attacks on the LGBTIQ community. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum. These attacks are fuelled by wider hate speech. Anti LGBTIQ voices are emboldened by such hate speech creating a more hostile environment for LGBTIQ people.
On the other hand, when it comes to homelessness, there is a different story emerging. The homeless sector has made huge strides in the past 5 years.
When we published our last LGBTIQ themed magazine there was little to no understanding of LGBTIQ homelessness in Europe. But today we have research that maps the challenges of working on the topic for both LGBTIQ and homeless organisations, we have delivered trainings to make services more inclusive, we have data from a European agency demonstrating the scale of LGBTIQ homelessness and at national level there is a growing level of research which in turn is leading to specialised services and new policies at the member state level.
The articles in this magazine paint a picture of hope and progress, while there is still a lot to be done to improve homeless services for LGBTIQ people, we can also point to our successes, and inspire organisations to deliver safer and more inclusive services.
The Impact of COVID-19 on 2SLGBTQ+ Youth Experiencing Homelessness
by Dr. Alex Abramovich, PhD, Independent Scientist, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, CAMH, Canada
Focus Ireland – Challenging LGBTQI+ Homelessness in Collaboration with BelongTo LGBTQI+ Youth Ireland
by Adam Spollen, Policy officer, Focus Ireland, Ireland
Gender Norms Prevent LGBT+ People Experiencing Homelessness from Accessing Help
by Kirsten Skovlund Asmussen, Communications and Dissemination Officer, Projekt Udenfor, Denmark
How Best to Support Male and Trans* Sex Workers Experiencing Homelessness
by Mauro Striano, Social worker, Alias, Belgium
Supporting Transgender People in Inpatient Emergency Housing Facilities in Germany
by Natalie Haug, Educationalist and Social Worker, Diakonie Frankfurt and Offenbach, Germany
Grassroot Community Engagement for Preventing LGBTIQ+ (Youth) Homelessness
by Vesna Stefanec, Program Coordinator, Društvo Parada Ponosa, Slovenia and Jan Forjan, Student Library Assistant, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
The Risk of Homelessness for the LGBTQIA+ Community in Poland
by Elżbieta Szadura-Urbańska, Psychologist and Board Member of the Brother Albert's Aid Society, Poland
Refuge Bruxelles: Because It's Needed
by Marc Bouteiller, Director, Refuge Bruxelles, Belgium
In Their Own Words: Momo's Experience of LGBTQ+ Homelessness Interview
conducted by Marc Bouteiller, Director of Refuge Bruxelles, Belgium, on behalf of FEANTSA, with Momo, a resident of Le Refuge, Bruxelles