The Black Queer Youth (BQY) Initiative is a group for Black, African, Caribbean and multiracial youth, aged 29 and under, who also identify as LGBTQ2S. For over 16 years, BQY has been one of the only spaces exclusively for youth who are both Black and queer-identified in Canada, and has grown from a monthly group facilitated by Black queer community volunteers into a fully-fledged project of the Supporting Our Youth Program at the Sherbourne Health Centre in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Over these years, BQY youth and facilitators have devised a safe space for their community, where Black queer identities are celebrated and honoured while simultaneously facing the challenges of racism, stigma and exclusion—issues that have plagued the program’s participants and other Black queer youth from before BQY’s inception until today. This case study provides information on the BQY Initiative.
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The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
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The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
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- Introduction
- Chapters
- 2. Homeless & Street-Involved Indigenous LGBTQ2S Youth in British Columbia: Intersectionality, Challenges, Resilience & Cues for Action
- 2.1 It’s A Kiki...
- 3. Pathways Into and Out of Homelessness for LGBTQ2S Youth
- 3.1 Ruth Ellis Center Family Preservation Program, Detroit, Michigan
- 4. Discrimination & Mental Health Outcomes of Black Youth Experiencing Homelessness
- 4.1 Central Toronto Youth Services
- 5. The Youth Homelessness Crisis and a Path to End It: Interventions to Better Serve LGBTQ2S Youth Experiencing Homelessness
- 5.1 Youth Wisdom, Harm Reduction & Housing First: RainCity Housing’s Queer & Trans Youth Housing Project
- 5.2 Messy and Magical: A Closer Look at the GLBT Host Home Program
- 5.3 YMCA Sprott House: Creating a Better Space for LGBTQ2S Youth in Toronto
- 5.4 Ozone House: LGBTQ2S Inclusive Emergency Services
- 6. Black Queer Youth, Unstable Housing and Homelessness: Understanding the Impact of Family Conflict, School and Community-Based Violence on Racialized LGBTQ2S Youth
- 6.1 The Black Queer Youth Initiative: Challenging Racism, Stigma & Exclusion
- 6.2 Unapologetic: The Young Black Gay Men’s Leadership Initiative
- 7. Addressing the Vocational Needs of LGBTQ2S Youth Experiencing Homelessness with Supported Employment
- 7.1 LEAP into Action: Preparing LGBTQ2S Youth for the Work Force
- 8. Addressing the Legal Needs of LGBTQ2S Youth Experiencing Homelessness
- 8.1 The Peter Cicchino Youth Project & the Reality of Street-Involved Youth & Youth Experiencing Homelessness in NYC
- 9. Policy into Practice: How Government Can Play a Role in Supporting LGBTQ2S Youth
- 9.1 A Provincial Response to LGBTQ2S Youth Homelessness
- Conclusion
- Chapters
- Where Am I Going to Go? Intersectional Approaches to Ending LGBTQ2S Youth Homelessness in Canada & the U.S.
- Chapters
- 6.1 The Black Queer Youth Initiative: Challenging Racism, Stigma & Exclusion