Housing without hate

“Youth are predominantly driven to the street, not drawn there.” A 2009 report by the Yonge St Mission gives this stark reminder. For LGBTQ youth in Toronto, the story can get worse: many flee from intolerant or violent households, and once on the street or in the shelter system they face the same issues experienced at home.

Alex (Ilona) Abramovich, Toronto researcher and homelessness activist explains: “The problem comes from shelter standards, minimal staff training and ongoing societal views. I didn’t realize the severity until I began my research: it’s an emergency situation.”

25–40 percent of Canadian street youth identify as LGBTQ, and 62 percent of homeless LGB youth will attempt suicide at least once — more than two times as often as their heterosexual peers (Van Leeuwen JMm et al – Child Welfare 2005). With the numbers and risks so high, it seems shocking that there isn’t a safe place specifically for queer youth.

A lack of LGBTQ shelters in Canada contributes to the crisis, forcing young people to rely on shelters rife with homophobia and transphobia. “I feel safer on a park bench than in the shelter system,” says one youth in Abramovich’s film, Out on the Street.

Abramovich recently joined forces with Michael Erickson, a city councillor candidate for Ward 14, to help push for an LGBTQ youth shelter in Toronto. Erickson’s fall election platform advocated for “Housing Without Hate” and endorsed building a shelter for Toronto’s LGBTQ youth. Erickson blames the erstwhile lack of support partly on the government but adds, “The LGBTQ community has not been very vocal or active on this issue lately. For the last 20 years, we in Canada have made things more comfortable for gay and lesbian adults while abandoning our youth.” Erickson ran for council in part to bring the issues to light.

Building on this shared commitment, Abramovich and Erickson initiated a series of public “House Calls.” Framed as community conversations, the House Calls aim to build public involvement, ideas and endorsement for a future shelter. The first meeting took place on a cold Thursday in December 2010, when a diverse range of community members gathered at Harbord Collegiate Institute. Following the opening remarks, participants joined focus groups to deepen the discussion.

A central theme of the night was the importance of involving youth in the planning process. As one young trans participant noted, “The vision for this shelter should come from queer youth, not just social service providers. Youth know what they need and should be represented.” Both Erickson and Abramovich agreed wholeheartedly and plan to run sessions with youth groups and at agencies across the city.

When discussing why a shelter is needed, one participant shared an unsettling experience: “Recently, a trans woman came to the youth shelter where I work, and she was bullied out after three days. I was surprised she even lasted that long. All the while, the staff debated what side to put her on — male or female. It should just be accepted that you are whatever gender you identify with.”

This thread was picked up in a different group, which discussed what the proposed shelter should include. One participant said her ideal shelter would have rigorous training, with staff learning about a variety of identities and how to treat people with respect. A number of other suggestions were put forward: employing out staff; making available counselling and legal and medical aid; offering private rooms; using gender-neutral signage; and displaying rainbow flags.

If this array of services seems overly idealistic, inspiration can be found just across the border at the Ali Forney Center in New York City. The center is dedicated to the memory of Ali Forney — a homeless teen murdered because of his sexual orientation. Established in 2002, the center is now the largest LGBTQ shelter in the United States and offers a wide range of services including housing, street outreach, primary medical care, HIV testing, mental health support and an employment program.

Such a holistic range of services reveals what is possible and necessary. As noted in Erickson’s Youth Action Plan, Canada may be leading the way with gay marriage, but it falls far behind America when it comes to supporting queer youth. “There needs to be a least one place in our city — in our country, even — that homeless LGBTQ youth feel is theirs, a place where they are not simply tolerated or endured,” says Erickson. “A place that might, for a little while, feel like home.”

The first House Call was one step in that direction. By the end of the night interest was piqued, and conversations among the participants continued well after the meeting adjourned. There were some quieter contributions as well; in one corner of the room, The People Project had set up a mural of a large tree with spreading branches. In the spirit of multiple voices and modes of expression, participants could write their thoughts on paper leaves and attach them to the tree.

Among the words of hope and solidarity, one simple message stood out: a blue leaf, teardrop shaped, carefully placed in the top branches. “I wish such a place existed when I was 14 years old. Someday I hope it will.”
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There are more House Calls scheduled for Etobicoke, Scarborough and North York, dates and locations TBD. For more information and to get involved, please send an email to:
SYNCtoronto [@] gmail.com
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Melissa Benner is a writer, educator and community organizer living in Toronto.