Sexuality and Homelessness in Los Angeles Public Schools

Abstract

Recently, Corliss et al.1 published important findings demonstrating the disproportionate numbers of sexual minority youths who experience homelessness in Massachusetts. Because of great variations in homelessness by region, we would like to add to this body of evidence with similar data from Los Angeles, California. We collected data on sexuality and homelessness experiences in conjunction with the 2011 administration of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Among LAUSD students, 37% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or unsure-identifying youths and 22% of heterosexual youths reported having spent at least one night homeless in the previous 12 months. We created a supplemental questionnaire administered in conjunction with the 2011 YRBS to LAUSD students. One item assessed sexual orientation: What do you consider your sexual orientation? 1) Homosexual (gay or lesbian), 2) bisexual, 3) heterosexual (straight), 4) transgender, 5) questioning/unsure. A second item addressed homelessness, using the questions from the landmark study by Ringwalt et al.2 that assessed the national prevalence of youth homelessness: During the past 12 months, have you spent the night in any of the following places? (check all that apply) 1) Youth or adult shelter, 2) public place, 3) abandoned building, 4) outside in a park, under a bridge, or rooftop, 5) subway or other public place underground, 6) with someone you did not know. Table 1 presents the breakdown of homelessness experience by sexuality and clearly shows that non-heterosexually identifying youths reported significantly more homelessness. TABLE 1— Proportion of Youths Aged 12–18 Years Reporting Homelessness Episodes of at Least 1 Night's Duration Within Previous 12 Months by Sexual Orientation: Supplement to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Los Angeles, CA, 2011 LAUSD is the second largest public school system in the United States. There are 162 225 high school students enrolled.3 According to our data, we estimated that 38 317 high school students in the LAUSD system experienced at least one night of homelessness in the past 12 months. This technique for assessing homelessness is an undercount—missing those youths whose housing instability leads to absentee days during data collection. The majority of students who experienced homelessness were unidentified by the school district.4 It has been well-established that youths of any sexual orientation who return to stable housing quickly are at greatly reduced risk for the negative health outcomes associated with homelessness.5 While LAUSD's Homeless Education Program works to advance academic achievement through social and educational programs, this program needs more funding and a mechanism to quickly identify newly homeless youths.