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HOUSING SUPPORT
from GNI MAG ISSUE 49
by GNI MAG
LGBTQIA?
NEED HOUSING SUPPORT? WE CAN HELP YOU!
THE RAINBOW PROJECT HAS carried out research recently which has shown that 14% of LGBQTIA+ people have experienced homelessness and over 30% of those were homeless as a direct result of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
We have sought funding from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to provide a direct service working with people experiencing housing stress, and we are delighted have launched the LGBTQIA+ Housing Project alongside the appointment of a new LGBTQIA+ Housing officer–Éaibhín Brady. Their role is to support and advocate on behalf of those at risk of homelessness or housing stress, particularly within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Homes provide access to job markets, schools, health care, and economic opportunities. We build our lives on this foundation, yet stable housing is less assured for LGBTQIA+ people.
Having an unstable living environment can impede access to employment or education and can have a detrimental impact on well-being, mental and physical health. Alongside support from the Housing Officer, a client can be signposted into a range of other services provided by The Rainbow Project such as Counselling, Advocacy Support, Sexual Health or Peer Support.
Many clients who are experiencing housing stress will come from a diverse background and will have a range of support needs. We recognise that LGBTQIA+ people might experience discrimination that restricts access to stable and decent housing, or they might limit their housing searches to localities with good access to LGBTQIA+ support services. We are here to provide support to navigate the Housing Executive’s points-based system, accessing benefits, and to provide information around tenant rights and options within the private rental sector in the North.
The Housing Officer will be able to support you if you have housing stress caused by domestic abuse, family breakdown or rejection by family members due to sexual orientation or gender identity.
Our new Housing Officer Éaibhín will be at the heart of this new project and will be carrying out vital work in this area, as well as helping to carry out research into the impact of homelessness on LGBTQIA+ people in the North.
The experiences of LGBTQIA+ people are often overlooked when it comes to studying and tackling the effects of homelessness. Additionally, as part of the project we will be looking at how LGBTQIA+ survivors of domestic abuse are an isolated and marginalised community with unmet needs. One consequence for many is homelessness, along with increased vulnerability. However we still do not have LGBTQIA+ specific accommodation for our community and in particular no refuge for gay or bi men who have experienced domestic abuse.
The LGBTQIA+ Housing Officer has direct experience of working with the homeless sector and has been providing direct support for those who are accessing the benefit system.
The LGBTQIA+ Housing Project is there to help people live in safer homes, free from fear, and where we can celebrate our identity and support each other to achieve our full potential.
