Services to LGBTQ runaway and homeless youth: Gaps and recommendations

• Twenty-four staff from 19 runaway/homeless youth (RHY) agencies identified gaps.
• Interviews revealed client-level gaps in housing, education, and employment.
• Support-system gaps included RHY prevention and intervention with families.
• Other gaps appeared in LGBTQ-affirming services, training, and advocacy/organizing.
• Literature-driven policy and program recommendations are provided.

This article identifies gaps in services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) runaway and homeless youth (RHY) and offers recommendations from the literature to fill them. Participants were 24 staff from 19 LGBTQ-RHY-serving agencies across the country. Over a 2-month period, researchers conducted 1-hour phone interviews with program staff and agency directors. Data from the interview transcripts were coded using template analysis, and the researchers modified the themes using an iterative coding process. Analyses yielded the following themes: a) housing services, b) educational services, c) employment services, d) family services, e) LGBTQ-affirming services, f) cultural competency training, and g) advocacy and organizing. Participants' perceptions of these gaps are provided, as are literature-driven recommendations to address those gaps. The findings from this study have the potential to guide program developers and policy makers in providing comprehensive, LGBTQ-affirming services for a substantial portion of the RHY population.