GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Despite the LGBTQ+ community only making up roughly 5-10% of the general population, 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ+.
On any given night in Kent County, there are typically around 40 to 100 homeless youth who identify as LGBTQ+.
A big reason they’re on the streets? These young people don’t feel accepted or safe at their home.
“They can't go to Mel Trotter, they can't go to Degage, and there's very few beds available for unaccompanied minors because those shelters have such high permitting criteria, and they're very expensive to run," explains Rickie Kreuzer, Executive Director and Board President for Chosen Family of Michigan. “So we are one of the few options.”
It’s why they're relaunching their Dandelion Homes program during Pride month; to give kids who have been kicked out of their homes a safe place and a path forward to a brighter future.
The program is more than just a bed for the night. Dandelion Homes also provides transportation to and from school, food stamps if their parents aren’t funding food for them, mental health resources, and wrap-around services to ensure they have what they need to live successful lives once they enter adulthood.
The big need right now is for more volunteers to open up their homes.
“It's usually individuals or families that have a spare bedroom, sometimes it's even elderly couples who still have their family homes with their kids have moved out,” Kreuzer said. “The dandelion home isn't covering medical expenses, but they do go through a background check, they do go through a site visit.”
The hosts will also go through trauma training and LGBTQ training to help them understand the unique challenges their guest may be facing. Every host also goes through an extensive background check, a site visit, and virtual training.
As it stands right now, they have about a half dozen hosts signed up-- but they're ready to take on so many more with enough funding for services to provide 100 homes.
If you know a LGBTQ+ teen struggling to find a safe place to sleep at night or a person who might want to volunteer a room, head to Chosen Family of Michigan’s Website.