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‘Barely even liveable’: young trans and gender diverse people’s experiences of unsafe housing in Australia

Zoë Goodall, Catherine Hartung, Wendy Stone, & Sal Clark

Precarious, inadequate housing affects the safety of young trans and gender diverse people in Australia, from poor housing conditions that compromise their health, to insecure and unsuitable living arrangements that are psychologically or physically unsafe. Many young people are affected by the housing crisis, yet trans and gender diverse people may experience particular challenges and vulnerabilities that are less visible.

In recent research with the YWCA, we surveyed and interviewed young trans and gender diverse people in Australia about their housing experiences. Often, their concerns and stories were related to safety at home or in their neighbourhoods, while navigating the housing system. Here, we highlight some perspectives that are often missing from broader discussions about young people and housing challenges.

 

Mould, sewage, and rotting balconies: the impact of housing conditions on trans and gender diverse people’s safety

Trans and gender diverse participants expressed frustration at the poor quality of housing they were expected to put up with.

“The barriers to better housing feel insurmountable and it leaves me feeling trapped. The housing options that do exist and are accessible are barely even liveable.” – Sam, masc, 26-27, NSW

These ‘barely even liveable’ housing conditions have clear health and safety impacts. Those on low incomes, including students, are particularly affected by a lack of choice that pushes them into low-quality housing.

“As I’m a student, there’s been periods of financial instability that has meant I have had to live in homes that were objectively unsafe (mould, break-ins, unsafe infrastructure such as rotted balconies).” – River, non-binary, 28-29, VIC

“I was at [purpose-built student accommodation] … the toilet didn’t work. And the showers were f***ed. And there was sewage all over the floor.” – Astrid, trans woman, 20-21, VIC

Getting poor conditions fixed is not straightforward. River expressed frustration that asking a landlord for repairs ran the risk of ‘rent increases being “coincidentally” put in place’.

 

Yearning for stability: the impact of unstable and insecure housing on trans and gender diverse people’s safety

Insecure housing can undermine physical safety by leading to risky living arrangements and homelessness. Psychologically, insecure housing leads to stress and exhaustion.

For example, Astrid, a trans woman, expressed her housing goals as ‘I just wanna stay somewhere for longer than a year, that’s it.’ She continued, I just wanna be able to ensure there’s a roof over my head for longer than one year at a time and to be certain of that, instead of just having to constantly go back and forth from here to there and never being able to stop.”

 Inadequate support was raised as a contributing factor to unsafe, insecure living. For example, River spoke of moving to the city for university, where:

Due to lack of supports and my lack of rental history it meant that I was forced to move into questionable share houses that sometimes left me couch surfing to stay safe in between homes. I know now in my mid-twenties that this would not have happened if more support was given and openly discussed for young university students travelling so far from home.”

Specific housing support for LGBTQI+ people was also suggested by Lesh (non-binary, 26-27, VIC), who expressed the need for ‘specific housing that [is] safe and secure’, especially given very long waitlists for social housing.

 

Concealing identities: the impact of violent and discriminatory living arrangements on trans and gender diverse people’s physical and psychological safety

 Many participants did not feel safe enough to share their gender identity when applying for rentals, causing further anguish. Lesh reflected:

“As a non-binary person, applying for houses and competing in the rental market would mean masking my true gender identity, which is an additional stress.”

 Charlie, a non-binary person from Victoria, explained that they didn’t change their gender marker on their passport was because they felt it safer to apply for properties with the gender they were assigned at birth:

“When we’re looking at rentals … and we’re communicating with the agent for the first time or a landlord for the first time, [partner and I] do make quite a conscious effort to appear as a like heterosexual couple. If we can, like we try and not let our actual identities become a problem or a safety issue, or something that an agent would refuse us for.”

 Young trans and gender diverse people’s concerns about safety in relation to their identity was also reflected in tensions they experienced at home. For example, River described:

“I was forced to move in with my partner and their family for a time being and as a queer, non-binary (afab) [assigned female at birth] person this home environment was unfortunately volatile and not a welcoming environment and had large repercussions on our mental health.”

Housing in Australia can prove unsafe for trans and gender diverse people, but there were notable exceptions among the interviews, particularly where housing and neighbourhoods feel queer-friendly. For example, Callum, a 22-year-old trans guy from NSW, described his neighbourhood:

“First of all, you know it’s like super queer friendly, which I really like. So I don’t feel, you know, at risk or whatever when I go out, I’m not like, you know, if someone clocks me, I’m in trouble. You know, I feel very safe and I feel very accepted. And there’s lots of, like, your pride flags and stuff like that. So I know that like you know, I feel welcome here.”

 

What next?

Young trans and gender diverse people are disproportionately affected by homelessness. These accounts make clear that preventative policy action is needed to increase safety in Australia’s housing system to reduce the harms to young trans and gender diverse people. Trans and gender diverse young people we heard from want stability, housing that doesn’t compromise their health and safety, and to be themselves without fearing violence or prejudice.

Trans and gender diverse people – and their housing challenges – remain hidden in much Australian data and should be included in ways that are safe, respectful, and ultimately empowering. Their voices should be a key part of discussions on how to improve their housing futures.

 

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