Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the further consultation on LGBT+ rough sleepers in section 81, page 32 of his Department's Rough Sleeping Strategy, which (a) organisations and (b) individuals have been consulted.

We recognise that the experiences of LGBT people, particularly young people, may lead to homelessness in too many cases, and understand that LGBT people who find themselves homeless may have a different experience of homelessness. However, we know we need to better understand this issue. That is why we committed to undertaking research with the Government Equalities Office in order to understand the nature and scale of LGBT homelessness and individuals’ experience of services while homeless.

We are still developing plans for the research and through this process we will engage with a range of specialist organisations, experts and people with lived experience. Based on findings, we will set out further concrete steps to address the issues of LGBT homelessness in the first yearly refresh of the strategy.

We are taking the first steps to ensure that LGBT people who find themselves homeless receive the support they need by providing training and non-statutory guidance to frontline staff so they can best support the needs of LGBT individuals presenting as homeless.