When we talk about living in Boston – whether it be rental prices by neighborhood, street occupancy permits or real estate porn – we often forget that it’s a double-edged sword. Sure, luxury housing units are sprouting up across Boston’s cityscape like weeds but on the flip side, the homeless population of the city is also growing.
On Wednesday, the Boston City Council will consider an order filed by Councilor Michelle Wu that’s intended to combat homelessness for one of that community’s most discriminated against demographics – LGBTQ identifiers.
According to the order, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education estimates that there are roughly 6,000 homeless high school students in the Commonwealth, who also lack parental or adult supervision. And then there are those homeless who are not enrolled in school, surely ballooning that statistic to something higher and more alarming.
The amount of homeless LGBTQ youth (youth defined as a person aged 24 and younger by the Massachusetts Coalition on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth), conversely, is unknown “due to barriers in data collection,” per the order. LGBTQ youth, however, comprise as much as 40 percent of the homeless youth population – about three to four percent of the general population.
BostInno reached out to Councilor Wu’s office to gauge what Boston can do to combat this epidemic and why targeting this particular demographic is important.
“After spending the first few months of being in office visiting homeless shelters and taking inventory of the breadth of needs and available resources, one recurring theme from service providers was the increasing number of homeless youth, many of them LGBTQ,” said Councilor Wu in an email. “For this community in particular, early access to resources and services can make the difference between entering a cycle of long-term homelessness and experiencing homelessness temporarily.”
Many homeless shelters do not allow for people under the age of 18 access to their beds and therefore swells the homeless population of youths. In Boston, there’s a single shelter that defies this and offers services to youths aged 14 to 24 called Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
In nearby Waltham, the aptly named Waltham House affords transitional housing for up to 12 homeless LGBTQ youths between the ages of 14 and 18.
“Even when they are allowed, it often feels unsafe and the LGBTQ and youth populations find it safer to stay outside on the streets,” continued Councilor Wu. “We are interested in hearing from service providers, advocates, and the city on what can be done to particularly address these needs, and look forward to the testimony at the hearing once it is scheduled.”
The order suggests the formation a committee that will hold subsequent hearings and testimonials to help identify what exactly is needed to combat this issue. The service providers and advocates will help guide the city council on further steps to be taken and recommend resources to take advantage of.
Stay tuned to BostInno for the latest information from the Boston City Council and further details on Councilor Wu’s mission.
