Poverty and homelessness among LGBTQ+ college students

LGBTQ college students, across the lifespan, face unique financial stressors related to their sexual and/or gender identities. LGBTQ people comprise a proportion of all college student communities and LGBTQ people are more likely to experience poverty compared to their straight and cis-gender peers (National LGBTQ Taskforce, 2018). College students who identify as LGBTQ face a variety of challenges that increase their rates of poverty and homelessness and these factors are often multidirectional in their impact such as discrimination in hiring and in the workplace, inaccessible temporary and permanent housing, bias and discrimination in healthcare, and harassment and violence at home and school (Sylvia Rivera Law Project, 2018). For example, “traditionally aged” college students who identify at LGBTQ may need to navigate difficult choices during college years related to their outness among family member who may be providing housing and financial support for their college educations. The current presentation aims to increase awareness of poverty within LGBTQ college student communities, discuss factors that influence rates of poverty and homelessness, and discuss strategies and resources available to LGBTQ college students experiencing poverty and/or homelessness.