Homelessness/Shelters

Trans individuals are thought to be overrepresented in the population of people experiencing homelessness. However, trans people face barriers when attempting to access services and systems meant to assist individuals experiencing homelessness. These barriers range from institutional invisibility and exclusion to individual acts of harassment from staff and service users. The challenges faced by trans people experiencing homelessness are best understood through the lens of cisgenderism. When systems and services are created presuming cisgender (cis) service users, they are unlikely to successfully engage and accommodate trans people. This entry provides an overview of the macro context that contributes to the overrepresentation of trans people in the population of people experiencing homelessness and the challenges they face in accessing shelter services. It also addresses what we ...