National LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence Releases Report on Housing Solutions for LGBTQ+ Survivors
Sep 14, 2026
By Julie Walker, NLIHC Project Manager, Opportunity Starts at Home
The National LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence released a report, “A Place to be Safe: Housing Solutions for LGBTQ+ Survivors,” which draws from expert key informant interviews and a review of research on emerging housing practices for LGBTQ+ survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) to identify key takeaways to inform policy and practice.
In 2024, the Institute conducted six interviews with 15 LGBTQ+ IPV and housing and homelessness experts to identify housing models that work best for LGBTQ+ survivors, determine what is needed for service providers, and compare what is needed to effectively respond to this population’s housing needs with what is currently available. Several key findings emerged from these interviews:
- A lack of support from a person’s family of origin leads to increased isolation for LGBTQ+ survivors.
For LGBTQ+ survivors of intersecting racial, ethnic, and 2 Spirit identities, specific outreach and service strategies are needed to increase access to housing resources.
Transgender survivors experience harm and discrimination at higher rates than cisgender survivors, regardless of wealth or income.
Violence directed at LGBTQ+ survivors also impacts the LGBT+ staff offering services. Many people providing housing to survivors, particularly transgender survivors, are personally impacted.
Many domestic violence and culturally specific providers are not inclusive of LGBTQ+ survivors, and many LGBTQ+ organizations do not address IPV.
Interviewees also identified housing and shelter program practices that effectively support LGBTQ+ survivors. The practices identified offer direct cash assistance or flexible funding, providing immediate shelter options through hotel options, engaging with LGBTQ+ survivors at LGBTQ+ community centers and community events, and encouraging survivors to receive services at any stage of their engagement with the person causing harm.
Building on the interview responses and a review of existing research, the report highlights key policy solutions and strategies to address the housing and safety needs of LGBTQ+ survivors. These include:
- Creative and survivor-led outreach strategies based on LGBTQ+ community identities.
Survivor-specific housing solutions and programs created for and by LGBTQ+ survivors to provide representation, safety, and comfort.
Increased funding for housing services that are LGBTQ+ inclusive and culturally specific, with culturally inclusive services for LGBTQ+ BIPOC communities.
LGBTQ+ survivor advisory committees to inform policy and practice.
Comprehensive services, including community support, civil and legal aid, services to prevent homelessness, and services to address housing and employment discrimination.
Capacity building to foster cross-system collaboration and partnerships between LGBTQ+ organizations, domestic violence providers, and culturally specific providers.
The report comes at a time when federal protections for LGBTQ+ survivors, in particular transgender survivors, are at risk of removal, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has halted all federal enforcement actions of the Equal Access Rule (EAR), which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. While the current political environment encourages harm, discrimination, and criminalization of people experiencing homelessness and LGBTQ+ people, the report emphasizes that domestic violence leaders can provide the inclusivity, support, and healing that LGBTQ+ survivors deserve and need.
Read the report.
To learn more about the connections between housing, domestic violence prevention, and LGBTQIA+ equity, read the OSAH fact sheets.