Resources for Homeless LGBTQ+ Youth

LGBTQ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness in the United States. In an effort to end LGBTQ youth homelessness some communities across the country are implementing what is known as Host Home Networks. 

Host Home networks throughout the country provide a safe harbor for young adults (typically ages 18-24) by connecting them with hosts who are LGBTQ+ themselves or allies of the community. Hosts can offer a stable place to stay, and in some cases, mentorship and emotional support.

These homes can be found throughout the U.S., but here is a brief list of organizations that may be able to connect you with host homes:

If you can’t find a host program in your area, you can contact a shelter or national LGBTQ+ resource center, and they may be able to connect you with local resources.


Here is a list of LGBTQ+ resource centers across the United States:

ALABAMA

Magic City Acceptance Center: A Birmingham organization, the Magic City Acceptance Center runs counseling and education programs for LGBTQ+ youth. It also hosts social events such as queer prom and homecoming dances, movie nights, peer groups and art and social justice workshops. Young people can also get free HIV/STI testing here.

ALASKA

Identity, Inc.: This advocacy group provides a range of youth programs, including support groups for LGBTQ+ teens, summer leadership summits and art showcases and community mixers.

ARIZONA

One-n-ten: An organization dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ youth, one-n-ten provides free community spaces, food, suicide prevention and mental health services and a range of other resources. Young people can also sign up for skills classes in everything from cooking to financial literacy, as well as enroll in tutoring and GED programs.

ARKANSAS

Northwest Arkansas Equality: NWA Equality provides support groups for LGBTQ+ youth and their families. They also maintain resource directories for local organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community. They are involved in advocacy work that includes police training, establishing local events for National Trans Remembrance Day and ending workplace discrimination.

CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles LGBT Center: The center offers a range of services, including providing free meals, emergency housing and clothing to LGBTQ+ youths. The organization also helps teens in need with housing and education resources and offers transitional housing for young adults between 18-24.

COLORADO

The Center on Colfax: A Denver-based center for the city’s LGBTQ+ community, The Center on Colfax provides a range of resources and programming, including support specifically for young people. LGBTQ+ teens can visit the center for social activities, mental health assistance, skills training and support groups. The Center also holds events where youth members can connect with mentors in the LGBTQ+ community and provides leadership and career-building opportunities.

CONNECTICUT

True Colors Sexual Minority and Youth Services: Based in Hartford, True Colors provides youth-led open mic events and social groups and a queer leadership program for LGBTQ+ youth. The organization also offers social services for LGBTQ+ young people and their families.

DELAWARE

PFLAG Wilmington: There are PFLAG chapters in both Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach. The Wilmington organization provides online and in-person support groups and aims to create an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ youths and adults and their families.

FLORIDA

The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth: The North Miami Alliance provides individual and group counseling for LGBTQ+ youth in Miami-Dade County. It also hosts enrichment activities that include social events, art workshops, educational and leadership events and other youth-focused programs.

GEORGIA

CHRIS 180: Specializing in family support and reducing homelessness among children, CHRIS 180 helps LGBTQ+ teens in Georgia who face the prospect of homelessness or who are struggling to gain acceptance within their families. In addition to providing housing assistance and facilitating foster and adoption connections, CHRIS 180 advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion.

HAWAII

Residential Youth Services & Empowerment (RYSE): RYSE offers housing for homeless youth ages 18-24. Anyone in this demographic may use the daytime drop-in services, which includes free food and basic needs amenities.

IDAHO

The Community Center: Located in Boise, The Community Center engages in advocacy and provides resources for the LGBTQ+ community. It provides support for schools that want to create more inclusive environments for students, and the Youth Alliance for Diversity meets regularly at The Community Center.

ILLINOIS

Broadway Youth Center at the Howard Brown Health Center: The Broadway Youth Center offers a range of health, wellness and basic needs services to LGBTQ+ youth and other young people at risk of homelessness. The center provides sexual and reproductive health counseling, primary care checkups, chronic disease management and vaccination services. It also assists with housing applications and provides food and financial help to young people in need.

INDIANA

Indiana Youth Group: IYG provides support groups, sexual health counseling and STI prevention services, among other programs, for LGBTQ+ youth. The group also connects young people with organizations that can help them secure housing and get mental health assistance. Youths who come to the center can use the center’s food pantry, showers, laundry machines and other basic needs amenities.

IOWA

United Action for Youth: UAY provides transitional housing for young people aged 16-22, including LGBTQ+ teens whose families forced them out of their homes. The organization also offers crisis mediation help for families.

KANSAS

PFLAG Lawrence/Topeka: This chapter of PFLAG provides a scholarship to LGBTQ+ youth, as well as information on counseling services and support for young people and their families.

KENTUCKY

Louisville Youth Group: This Kentucky organization creates social and educational opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth to build community and develop leadership and activism skills. The youth group holds a range of events and meetings and provides links to other support resources on its website.

LOUISIANA

Brotherhood, Inc.: This longstanding New Orleans organization helps HIV+ people in the African-American community find permanent and transitional housing that is stable and affordable.

MAINE

Out Maine: This organization currently provides several online programs, including youth groups and art workshops, for LGBTQ+ youth to connect with peers and build their confidence and self-esteem. Regular programming also includes leadership training, overnight events and a number of other in-person events.

MARYLAND

Rainbow Youth Alliance (RYA): Teens ages 14-18 can attend twice-monthly RYA meetings at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville. The meetings are non-religious, and LGBTQ+ youth and their allies may attend to discuss a range of topics that may include coming out, sex and substance use.

MASSACHUSETTS

The Home for Little Wanderers: The home provides homeless youth with transitional housing options, mentorship and life coaching and support for those trying to attain higher education. Homeless or at-risk youth can also use the Boston-based organization’s laundry, shower and computer lab facilities and participate in music, yoga and skill-building classes.

MICHIGAN

Ruth Ellis Center: The Highland Park center offers youth between 13-20 a range of services, including general health checks, hot meals, counseling, laundry facilities, clothing, safe sex supplies and many other resources.

MINNESOTA

YouthLink: This Minneapolis organization helps homeless youth find housing or suitable shelters. Those who come to the drop-in center will find food and shower facilities, help with obtaining mental health counseling and finishing their GED and opportunities to connect with other LGBTQ+ people.

MISSISSIPPI

Grace House: Grace House provides counseling, support services and transitional housing options to people living with HIV/AIDS. It offers housing for women who are recovering from substance abuse or chemical addictions.

MISSOURI

Growing American Youth: Growing American Youth holds several types of social support meetings for LGBTQ+ youth, including one for gender fluid, gender variant and transgender people.

MONTANA

Western Montana Community Center: The Center holds events for the LGBTQ+ community and connects people with health resources, HIV and STI testing, information on what to if you’ve been a victim of a hate crime and other forms of support.

NEBRASKA

Youth Emergency Services (YES): YES provides homeless youth in Omaha with emergency shelter, counseling, HIV/STI and pregnancy testing, free food and showers and other basic needs resources. It also operates transitional housing and maternity housing programs for people ages 16-21. Those who are 18-24 may be able to find housing through YES’s Rapid Rehousing program, which subsidizes the cost of rent and helps homeless young people find a permanent place to live.

NEVADA

The Gay and Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada: The Center holds a number of programs for LGBTQ+ youth, including sexual education and family support groups. There are also virtual chat servers to connect with peers and receive online tutoring. The organization hosts an annual Youth Prom, which all LGBTQ+ young people and allies may attend for free.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Rural Outright: One of several Outright organizations in New Hampshire, Rural Outright holds youth drop-in sessions and support groups for LGBTQ+ youth. Young people who visit during drop-in hours will have access to free food, computers, free wifi and safe sex supplies. There are also Outright organizations in Manchester and Portsmouth.

NEW JERSEY

Crossroads Programs: Crossroads helps young people who are aging out of foster care or are otherwise at risk of becoming homeless find transitional housing. They also provide support for those struggling with mental health or behavioral issues and skills development to help young people achieve stability and live independently.

NEW MEXICO

Common Bond New Mexico Foundation: The Foundation’s U-21 program provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth 21 and under to socialize regularly. Those who come to the Friday meeting can hang out with other young people, listen to guest speakers and receive a free meal.

NEW YORK

Metropolitan Community Church of New York: The church offers ministries for LGBTQ+ youths, including emergency shelter, social services and counseling and a food kitchen. New York has many health, housing and social services resources for the LGBTQ+ community.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wrenn House: Wrenn House takes in kids aged 10-17, giving them free transitional housing, counseling services, skills development training and transportation to school. Although the organization prioritizes the needs of young people from Raleigh and Wake County, they accept teens in crisis from anywhere.

NORTH DAKOTA

YouthWorks: YouthWorks helps young people in crisis in Bismarck and Fargo by operating shelters for runaways and helping young adults aged 18-21 find transitional housing. Among its many counseling and support services, YouthWorks helps reunite runaways with their families through counseling and mediation.

OHIO

LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland: The center holds drop-in hours for LGBTQ+ youth ages 11-20, along with a range of social and educational programs. Young people can also learn about sexual and reproductive health through the center and gain leadership and advocacy training.

OKLAHOMA

Youth Services of Tulsa: Youth Services operates a 24-hour emergency shelter for young people who need a place to stay. It also provides free food and other basic amenities, referrals for medical services and an emergency crisis line. YST runs support groups for LGBTQ+ youths and allies as well.

OREGON

Outside In: This Portland organization serves LGBTQ+ young people ages 16-24 with housing and education assistance, medical referrals, gender-affirming hormones and opportunities to build community in a safe environment. Outside In’s drop-in services include free food, showers, computers, library access and case management options.

PENNSYLVANIA

The Attic Youth Center: The Attic works with LGBTQ+ young people up to age 23 and their families or guardians. Young people can receive mental health counseling for anxiety and depression and help to cope with conflicts and anger and stress management. They can also speak with case managers who will help them find housing and health services. Support groups for transgender youth, women and youth interested in safer sex are also available.

RHODE ISLAND

Sojourner House: Located in Providence, Sojourner House provides youth services, HIV testing, sexual health resources and a support group for LGBTQ+ sexual assault survivors.

SOUTH CAROLINA

We Are Family: A Charleston center built around support and inclusion, We Are Family offers a range of programs, including support groups for LGBTQ+ youth, parent groups, a queer prom and other events aimed at uplifting LGBTQ+ young people.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Black Hills Center for Equality: The center hosts youth events and connects LGBTQ+ young people and adults with housing, mental and general health resources and other forms of support.

TENNESSEE

Just Us: Based in the Oasis Center in Nashville, Just Us helps middle and high school LGBTQ+ students achieve their potential by nurturing their confidence and advocacy skills and connecting them with safe housing and health resources.

TEXAS

Out Youth: Out Youth offers young LGBTQ+ people in Austin individual counseling, support groups and social and educational activities.

UTAH

Utah Pride Center: The center holds youth support groups and is active in suicide prevention and supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Utah.

VERMONT

Outright Vermont: Outright provides support groups for LGBTQ+ youth and drop-in hours during which young people can enjoy free wifi, snacks and games and get clothes and safe-sex supplies.

VIRGINIA

Side by Side: This organization is based in Richmond, but you can also find support groups in Charlottesville and Petersburg. Side by Side helps LGBTQ+ youth find secure housing and maintains a resource closet stocked with clothes, gender-affirming garments and toiletries that are free to all. LGBTQ+ youth who are in crisis can call Side by Side’s 24/7 hotline for help.

WASHINGTON

YouthCare: YouthCare runs a drop-in center for youths age 12-24 and an overnight shelter for people 18-24. It also operates an emergency shelter for those under 18.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL): SMYAL serves LGBTQ+ homeless youth ages 18-24 in the Washington, D.C. area. The organization offers transitional housing along with crisis intervention, food and skills training for residents.

WISCONSIN

Milwaukee LGBT Community Center: The community center provides emergency housing and shelter referrals for people in crisis and a drop-in center with food, clothing, a library and internet access.

WYOMING

Wyoming Equality: This advocacy organization maintains an extensive online list of health care and mental health providers, businesses, college student and youth groups, crisis resources and LGBTQ+-friendly faith organizations in Wyoming.

Additional Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth

  • Runaway & Homeless Youth (RHY) Programs: These are federally funded programs to help homeless youth. You can find basic needs centers throughout the country.
  • Matthew Shepard Foundation: Named for a young Wyoming man who was murdered for being gay, the Matthew Shepard Foundation highlights LGBTQ+ voices and advocates for equality and inclusion.
  • Lambda Legal: This nonprofit focuses on LGBTQ+ rights in legal and public policy, and its website is a great resource to learn more about your rights.
  • Sex, Etc.: This online resource provides helpful information on having safe sex as well as developing healthy emotional relationships.
  • Trans Employment Program: The Trans Employment Program provides career coaching and leadership workshops, information on finding stable housing and guidance on your legal rights in the workplace.
  • Love Is Respect: You can call or chat the Love Is Respect hotline anytime to get help if you’re in an abusive relationship. Counselors can help you make a plan for leaving an abusive situation and how to protect yourself once you’ve left.
  • National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline: This is a confidential hotline where you can speak with a counselor about where to find health care after a sexual trauma or assault as well as how to access mental health resources to help you cope.