Pols push for services for homeless LGBT young adults
There are many young LGBT adults who are homeless because they have been rejected by their families and don’t want to sleep in shelters out of fear that they will be bullied and harassed, according to three of Brooklyn’s elected officials who are working together on a possible solution.
On May 24, Borough President Eric Adams, state Sen. Diane Savino, and Assemblymember Helene Weinstein announced an effort to amend the New York State Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to expand its application to include individuals under the age of 25 to enable young adults to receive services. Under current law, the age limit is 21. Both Savino and Weinstein are pushing bills in their respective legislative houses to have New York State matching the working definition of homeless youth as established by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.
The legislation seeks to address longstanding concerns that have been reported by many homeless LGBT New Yorkers between the ages of 21 and 25 regarding accessing adult homeless shelters, including fears of bullying, harassment, sexual assault, and violence. As a result of these issues, many young people have chosen to risk sleeping in the streets and subways, the lawmakers said.
“As a matter of safety, of economics, and of basic human compassion, it is time to recognize and support the full population of runaway and homeless youth in our state,” Adams said in a statement. Without help, young adults “will continue to fall through the cracks” Adams said.