Shelters Unsafe for Trans Clients
Transgender people continue to face persistent harassment and abuse within San Francisco’s shelter system, despite clear anti-discrimination laws at both the city and state level that should protect trans clients. Explains one transgender client who had her arm broken while waiting in line for the showers at a local shelter, “It’s City money that’s paying for this.”
This shelter resident reported to the Street Sheet that she was attacked by a day laborer within the shelter, breaking her arm and also damaging her kidneys. Despite the risks to her safety, she must continue to stay in the shelter system due to the lack of transitional housing in San Francisco.
Because transgender people face severe employment and housing discrimination, transgender people are much more likely to need to rely on the City’s homeless services. Yet these shelters are often unsafe for them.
Kathryn Steuerman, an outreach worker and peer counselor at the UCSF TRANS Project, explains, “Trans people still have so many difficulties with the shelters, even though San Francisco has made great strides.” One encouraging policy is that trans people are now housed based on their self-identified gender, regardless of surgery status or legal status, which is a huge step forward compared to other shelter systems.
Steuerman was quick to explain, however, that, “this alone doesn’t cover all the issues,” as simply being housed with people of the same gender does not ensure safety for trans people. Chris Daley, the Director of the San Francisco-based Transgender Law Center, also noted that, “there are safety concerns throughout the system,” for people of all genders. While lauding the City for its commitment to recognizing the self-identified gender of trans clients, Daley noted that the shelter system can still be incredibly discouraging to trans people and many trans people, “just leave the system altogether.”
The constant threat of abuse toward transgender people is well known by shelter staff, and yet has not been adequately addressed by shelter directors or government administrators. A staff member at a Tenderloin drop-in clinic which serves over 200 clients a day reported to the Street Sheet that, “trans girls are going from one shelter to the next just to find a comfortable space,” but often don’t find anywhere.
Many trans shelter clients report harassment from other residents that goes un-checked by shelter staff. One advocate cited common verbal attacks: “You don’t belong here. You’re a man. You’re a pervert. You’re a freak.” These challenges are only compounded by a shelter system that is already notorious for its inadequacy and dysfunction.
Trans shelter residents and trans advocates report that the security within shelters is sharply prejudiced against trans people. Violence against trans people becomes institutionalized when security staff are regularly disinterested in protecting trans clients from other shelter residents. In general, most shelter staff are unaccountable to residents, and trans homeless people are often not included in the administration or daily operations of the shelters.
Because trans residents have to endure verbal abuse and emotional abuse, atop the threat of physical assault, shelter stays are often traumatic experiences that can trigger other problems. Many trans girls also face sexual harassment from male residents.
The lack of privacy within shelters is another issue that is particularly difficult for trans residents, who are often forced to be public about their trans identity against their will. “They have to work around everyone else in the system,” explains one service provider, noting that showers are a huge difficulty since many shelters do not have individual shower stalls.
Although most San Francisco shelters do have support programs set up for people once they’re inside, shelter programming is not trans specific, even though the homelessness issues that trans residents must overcome—housing issues, employment issues, abuse and addiction issues—have very specific aspects relevant to the discrimination that trans people face.
Some of these employment issues include documentation problems, like when a job applicant’s name or gender presentation doesn’t match government-issued identification. Contacting a former employer for job references can also raise barriers to employment, since it can reveal a gender transition which was at first not publicly shared.
A lot of job counseling also focuses on how to have a presentation that will be acceptable to a prospective employer—advice that needs to match the unique presentation concerns of trans job applicants.
Overall, the City continues to avoid developing viable and client-centered exit strategy plans for people in shelters. These exit strategies should lead to sustainable long-term housing, education, and gainful employment. Shelters will inevitably fail to serve trans homeless people if they do not recognize the broader challenges of affordable housing and employment discrimination in San Francisco.
Until these goals can be met, there are also short-term solutions to the hostile conditions of current shelters. Offering trans-specific services within the shelters would be a great improvement, and the City has recently allocated funds to Jewish Vocational Services to develop employment opportunities as well as eligibility to employment for trans people.
Many shelter residents also wish to be more included in the day to day operations of shelters, ultimately leading to safer and more communal environments. One trans shelter resident explains, “I would like to see more people in the shelter be involved and respect the house they live in.”
Increased privacy would also make shelters more safe, as would a deliberate staff commitment to protecting trans people and intervening when observing abuse. Addressing the prejudice of other residents is an essential step for making shelters a safe environment for trans clients.
A group of service providers from Walden House, Transgender Law Center, TGI Justice Project, Communities United Against Violence, and Tenderloin Health is also working to develop transitional housing for trans women coming out of prison. This housing would be specific to the trans community, and would offer wrap around services, including education and healthcare, tailored to trans needs.
Jeremy