‘Within hours you can be on the street”

“Everything can be good one day, and the day after you decide you’re going to come out to your family, and within 10 hours you could be on the streets.”

Dean Marsh from the homelessness charity Concrete, based in Stoke-on-Trent, has helped more than 80 LGBT+ people get back on their feet after finding themselves homeless.

Many young people still end up without a secure home after being abandoned by family members or forced out of shared accommodation due to their sexuality or gender identity.

Earlier this year, Concrete opened Phoenix House, dedicated accommodation for three LGBT+ people who’ve become homeless.

Axel Pritchedd is non-binary and moved into Phoenix House after being forced to leave their shared house.

They said: “I did say I was non-binary, but they kind of dismissed it. They kept calling me she/her. I didn’t feel comfortable in there at all. I can be myself here [at Phoenix House] whereas I couldn’t be myself at my old place.”

Specialist LGBT+ caseworker Courtney Jennings, herself bisexual, works with Axel and others to help them become independent.

“A young girl, about 20 years old, was recently kicked out of her mother’s home, because she didn’t want the other kids to see her go through this [transgender] transition. We’ve managed to find her a house to live in. She’s settled, she’s happy.”

Another service user also turned their life around: “One customer was a massive drinker when I met him. Now he’s four months sober, he’s looking for a job, he’s got somewhere to stay. It makes me so happy.”

Around one in five LGBT+ people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, according to charity Stonewall.

More than three-quarters of LGBT+ homeless people cited family rejection or abuse as a cause of their homelessness.

Concrete says it is the only charity in Stoke-on-Trent working specifically on LGBT+ homelessness, with plans to expand its housing provision if additional funding can be found.

Axel is now hoping to start university in September and wants to become a computer game designer. They said moving into Phoenix House had really helped:

“I can be myself, I can dress how I want to dress. I can be me.”