Nearly 30 Democratic Senators signed a letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson expressing concerns regarding the restoration of resources related to protecting LGBTQ people from housing discrimination from the department’s website. The letter discusses the removal of six tools designed to help housing providers comply with nondiscrimination rules protecting members of the LGBTQ community. These include a proposed policy that would require HUD-funded emergency shelters to hang a poster alerting residents of their right to be free from anti-LGBTQ discrimination and a guide instructing HUD grantees on how to ensure equal access for transgender people.
“These changes are concerning given the unique housing challenges facing LGBTQ people across the America,” the letter states. “For example, LGBTQ youth represent 40 percent of all youth experiencing homelessness, meaning that efforts to undermine LGBTQ protections have a disproportionate impact on some of the most vulnerable young people in the country. Among adults, nearly 1 in 3 transgender people report having experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, yet a study found only 30% of shelters were willing to properly accommodate transgender women.”
The senators ask Dr. Carson to review these actions and to act promptly to restore resources that guide housing providers on how to fulfill their nondiscrimination requirements.
A recent study from the Urban Institute found that transgender individuals and male homosexual couples face discrimination from housing providers. The study paired homosexual individuals with heterosexual individuals who were similar in age, ethnicity, race, and income. The study measured the difference in treatment between the homosexual and heterosexual individuals, finding that gay men were almost two percent less likely to be told of available units and, on average, received an annual net cost quote $272 higher than that for their heterosexual counterparts. Similar disparities exhibited for both homosexual women and transexual individuals, who were both more likely to face discrimination than male homosexuals.
Read the Senators’ letter at: http://bit.ly/2uymjBr
Find studies referenced by the letter at: http://bit.ly/2tZVWXX and http://bit.ly/2kkBtaf
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