Addressing Food Insecurity Among LGBTQIA+ Youth
LGBT youth experience higher rates of hunger due to food insecurity when compared to their non-LGBT peers. While school meals are a reliable food source for millions of U.S. students, many LGBTQ+ youth miss school because they feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
LGBT youth experience higher rates of hunger due to food insecurity when compared to their non-LGBT peers. While school meals are a reliable food source for millions of U.S. students, many LGBTQ+ youth miss school because they feel unsafe or uncomfortable. In fact, 32% of LGBTQ+ youth missed school, and 22% avoided the cafeteria due to feeling unsafe.
The LGBTQ+ population is also under-enrolled in nutrition benefits, with only 23% of income-eligible LGBT adult households being enrolled.
These points can be further explored in our full report on Food Insecurity Among LGBTQ Youth and accompanying fact sheets.
No Kid Hungry partnered with the Williams Institute, a leading LGBTQ think tank, to provide this analysis and explore new research on organizations' roles in addressing food insufficiency and promoting economic mobility.
In partnership with the Williams Institute and member-based association CenterLink, data was gathered from 73 LGBTQ+ youth programs to examine the programs’ experiences and perspectives on addressing food insecurity among LGBTQ+ youth. Some highlights:
- Older youth ages 18 to 25, transgender youth, and Black and Latinx youth more commonly did not have enough to eat,
- 72.6% of youth programs noted school as source of food for LGBTQ+ youth (behind community-based organizations, 91.8%, and chosen family/friends, 82.2%),
- Unstable housing was the most frequent reason programs reported for why youth lack adequate access to food (84.9%), followed by lack of access to jobs that pay livable wages (71.2%), family food insecurity (68.5%), lack of family support (63.0%), and transportation barriers (47.9%),
- Only 56.5% of programs mentioned providing eligibility counseling or enrollment assistance for SNAP or WIC as a strategy utilized to increase youth access to food
The strategies viewed as most successful among LGBTQ+ youth organizations were providing meals and snacks and operating on-site food pantries. These strategies and others must include plans to reduce barriers to access, engage youth, collaborate with external partners, adequate funding and staffing, and a committed organizational culture.
More details about these strategies can be found in the full report The Role of LGBTQ+ Youth Organizations in Addressing Food Insufficiency.
Continuing the strong partnership with the Williams Institute and new work with the Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth, we convened a group of community-based organizations to discuss employment and economic mobility as a means of addressing food insecurity among LGBTQ+ youth in September of 2023. This report presents findings and recommendations from the convening. Some highlights:
- Stabilization of youth in housing was seen as a critical component of addressing both food and employment needs,
- Government programs, such as SNAP, are typically inadequate to address food insecurity among LGBTQ+ youth,
- Mentorship can be critical in supporting youth to develop problem-solving, employment, and other life skills,
- Inclusive employment is necessary when considering opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth.
- Capacity, resources, and funding constraints limit what programs can do to support LGBTQ+ youth, and
LGBTQ+ youth should be engaged at all levels of a program or organization, including economic stabilization activities.
We also found that participants identified lack of support from a youth’s family of origin as a primary barrier to economic security.
When considering the inadequacy of government benefits, policymakers should examine eligibility criteria for SNAP and other public benefits to assess barriers for LGBTQ+ youth.
More details on these themes and recommendations can be found in the full report Employment as a Path Towards Greater Food Security For LGBTQ+ Youth.