The city of San Diego’s first permanent shelter for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness will soon open its doors in East Village.
U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) announced the dedication of more than $1.5 million in federal funding to transform a vacant office space into a 44-bed shelter specifically designed to support unhoused, transition-age youth in the LGBTQ+ community.
“A lot of projects were cut [or] they only received a fraction of what was requested, but not this project,” Peters said. “We asked for $1.5 million. We fought for $1.5 million every step of the way, and we secured all $1.5 million to make this shelter a reality.”
According to the Trevor Project, nearly 30 percent of LGBTQ+ youth reported experiencing homelessness or housing instability at some point in their lives, substantially increasing their risk of severe depression, anxiety or suicidal ideation. Studies have also found that experiencing homelessness in one’s youth makes it more likely that they will experience it again later in life.
In San Diego, upwards of 40 percent of the city’s unhoused youth identify as LGBTQ+, according to a 2023 report from the city’s Housing Commission. SDSun
