Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness Many survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment have complex housing needs. Experiencing violence can jeopardize a person’s housing, and experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity can increase the risk someone will experience violence. Sexual assault is a common experience of many young people. Over 81% of female survivors and 70% of male survivors first experienced completed or attempted rape before age 25.1 Over 38% of women and almost 40% of men reported their first completed or attempted rape was between 18 and 24 years old.1 Many young people experience homelessness. One in 10 young adults, or 3.5 million, experienced homelessness in a year.2 Limited research has looked at the connections between sexual violence, housing, and race. However current statistics note that Black young people, especially Black men who identified as LGBTQ, experience the highest rate of homelessness.3 We also know that experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity can increase the risk someone will experience sexual violence. Black and LGBTQ - 16% White and LGBTQ - 8% Black non-LGBTQ - 7% White non-LGBTQ - 4% Top three reasons why LGBT youth experience homelessness:4 46% ran away because of family rejection of sexual orientation or gender identity 43% forced out by parents because of sexual orientation or gender identity 32% experienced physical, emotional, or sexual abuse at home Young adults aged 18-25 who identified as LGBTQ experienced homelessness within the last 12 months at more than twice the rate of their cisgender heterosexual peers.3 Risk for homelessness is high among young adults who are pregnant or parenting.5 Forty-four percent of young women aged 18-25 experiencing homelessness are pregnant or parenting, and 18% of males have a pregnant partner or are a parent.5 The risk of experiencing homelessness during the past year was significantly higher for parents aged 18-25 (both male and female) than their non-parent peers.5 Many young adults do not have a home to return to. Many young people leave home due to violence, abuse, or being told to leave after their family rejects their sexual identity.6 These risk factors increase the likelihood of experiencing victimization while on the street. Sexual abuse is directly linked with experiencing sexual victimization while homeless.7 Young adults experiencing homelessness typically have a history of being raped or sexually assaulted prior to leaving home and being victimized when on the street. Almost 42% of homeless youth (ages 14-24) have experienced child sexual abuse prior to running away.8 Twenty-three percent of homeless young adults (ages 18-26) had engaged in the sex trade.9 Out of a sample of 389 youth (ages 13-25) who had been homeless or precariously housed in the past year, 33.2% reported experiencing child sexual abuse prior to being homeless, and 13% reported experiencing sexual assault since becoming homeless.10 Thirty-eight percent of LGBTQ homeless youth (ages 13-25) were forced to have sex as compared to 15% of non-LGBTQ youth.3 Twenty percent of youth experiencing homelessness were victims of human trafficking, and 17% were victims of sex trafficking.11 Homeless young adults (ages 18-26) who experienced forced sex while homeless:9 31.5% BLACK 20.8% MIXED 19.3% WHITE 17.8% LATINX 10.7% OTHER For more information on the connections between sexual violence and housing, visit safehousingpartnerships.org. To view the other infographics in this series, visit nsvrc.org/SexualViolenceandHousingInfographics. About the Consortium The Domestic Violence and Housing Technical Assistance Consortium is funded by a partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Consortium supports a technical assistance team of five national organizations: Collaborative Solutions, Inc., National Alliance for Safe Housing, National Network to End Domestic Violence, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, and National Sexual Violence Resource Center. The Consortium provides training, technical assistance, and resource development at the critical intersection of homelessness and domestic violence and sexual assault. Resources 1Smith, S. G., Zhang, X., Basile, K. C., Merrick, M. T., Wang, J., Kresnow, M., & Chen, J. (2018). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2015 data brief – updated release. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/2015data-brief508.pdf 2Morton, M. H., Dworsky, A., & Samuels, G. M. (2017). Missed opportunities: Youth homelessness in America. National estimates. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. https://voicesofyouthcount.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/VoYC-National-Estimates- Brief-Chapin-Hall-2017.pdf 3Morton, M. H., Samuels, G. M., Dworsky, A., & Patel, S. (2018). Missed opportunities: LGBTQ youth homelessness in America. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. https://voicesofyouthcount.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/VoYC-LGBTQ-Brief-Chapin- Hall-2018.pdf 4Durso, L. E., & Gates, G. J. (2012). Serving our youth: Findings from a national survey of services providers working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. University of California, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80x75033 5Dworsky, A., Morton, M. H., & Samuels, G. M. (2018). Missed opportunities: Pregnant and parenting youth experiencing homelessness in America. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. https://voicesofyouthcount.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2018/05/VoYC-Pregnant-and-Parenting-Brief-Chapin-Hall-2018.pdf 6Baur, E. E., Bein, K., & Fribley, C. (2017). College-aged but on the streets: Young adults who experience homelessness and sexual violence. Resource Sharing Project. http://www.resourcesharingproject.org/college-aged-streets-young-adults-who-experience- homelessness-and-sexual-violence-en-edad 7Melander, L. A., & Tyler, K. A. (2010). The effect of early maltreatment, victimization, and partner violence on HIV risk behavior among homeless young adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, 47(6), 575–581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.04.010 8Slesnick, N., Zhang, J., & Yilmazer, T. (2018). Employment and other income sources among homeless youth. Journal of Primary Prevention, 39, 247-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-018-0511-1 9Santa Maria, D. M., Breeden, K., Drake, S. A., Narendorf, S. C., Barman-Adhikari, A., Petering, R., Hsu, H., Shelton, J., Ferguson-Colvin, K., & Bender, K. (2020). Gaps in sexual assault health care among homeless young adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 58(2), 191-198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.09.023 10Wong, C. F., Clark, L. F., & Marlotte, L. (2016). The impact of specific and complex trauma on the mental health of homeless youth. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 31(5), 831-854. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514556770 11Wolfe, D. S., Greeson, J. K. P., Wasch, S., & Treglia, D. (2018). Human trafficking prevalence and child welfare risk factors among homeless youth: A multi-city study. Covenant House International. https://www.covenanthouse.org/ sites/default/files/inline-files/Field%20Center%20Full%20Report%20on%20Human%20 Trafficking%20Prevalence.pdf This project was supported by Grant No. 2018-TA-AX-K027 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. www.nsvrc.org | www.safehousingpartnerships.org © 2020 National Sexual Violence Resource Center. All Rights Reserved.