Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rhianna Kendrick, director of operations for Groundworks Collaborative, a Brattleboro nonprofit that works to address food insecurity and housing issues in Southern Vermont.
In a shocking move, during a time of crisis in our country, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced a plan beginning July 24 to roll back protections for transgender people that were put into place in 2016. The proposed modification is reconsidering the protections that allowed transgender people to access shelter space based upon their gender identity, and not their biologially determined sex. The removal of this protection would allow for shelters to establish policies that place and accommodate individuals on the basis of their biological sex, without regard for their gender identity.
Shelters are often the best access-point for a person experiencing homelessness into programs that provide safe, individual housing, a critical need during a global pandemic, which is putting those without a home at greater risk than ever before. Shelters in this country largely operate based on gender binary — placing males and females in separate sleeping quarters. While housing transgender people according to their gender identity does not pose a safety issue for others, failing to do so puts transgender people — who are more often victims of physical violence — in danger. Given the scale of people experiencing homelessness — disproportionately so for those who are marginalized (Black, Latinx, Indigenous, transgender, non-native speakers of English, addicted, etc.) — HUD should be doing everything they can to scale up housing and homelessness services so they can be available to everyone who needs them; NOT pushing forward policies that will create further barriers to accessing housing.
At Groundworks, we believe that housing is a human right. Removing existing protections for transgender people experiencing homelessness and forcing people to accept shelter assigned without regard for their gender identity is discriminatory and wrong. We strive to ensure that everyone in our community has their basic needs met with dignity. We respect people’s identity and make every effort to codify that respect in our policies and procedures. While we invite individuals to identify the space where they will feel most comfortable sleeping based upon their own gender identity, we also recognize that many shelters do not offer people this protection. We will continue to ensure that our transgender neighbors in need of shelter have access to this protection, and we urge you to join us in advocating to ensure this protection remains in policy nationwide.
The comment period for this proposed change began July 24, and will run through September 22, allowing exactly 60 days to submit comments from as many people as possible.
HUD is legally required to write a response to each unique comment before they can implement a final rule — meaning: the more comments they receive, the longer it will take them to put this dangerous and discriminatory rule into effect. Flooding the public comment portal is one way to encourage HUD to abandon this rule change. Anyone can submit a public comment directly to HUD on this rule through the live “comment portal” at housingsaveslives.org. They provide talking points and question prompts to help support you in making a public comment. All you have to do is share your thoughts on why nondiscrimination protections for trans people experiencing homelessness are important! Please join us in ensuring that these critical protections remain in place!
