Almost half of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people who are behind on their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic report fearing homelessness within the coming months. As eviction protections subside, this fear will become a reality for many LGBT people.
A report recently published by the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, examined “rental housing stability late in the COVID-19 pandemic among LGBT people compared to non-LGBT people, including differences by race.” The authors are Bianca D.M. Wilson, Kathryn K. O’Neill, and Luis A. Vasquez.
The Stats
The report found that more LGBT people are affected by housing instability than those not part of the LGBT community. Forty one percent of LGBT adults rent their homes, as opposed to 25% of non-LGBT adults. Housing instability is also affected by race: almost half (47%) of LGBT people of color rent their homes, whereas one-fifth (19%) of white non-LGBT rent.
When comparing the ability to afford the rent of the house, LGBT people suffer more financial hardship. One-fifth (19%) of LGBT renters report being behind on rent, whereas 14% of non-LGBT renters report being behind.
There are also economic disparities, based on race, within LGBT renters. Almost one out of three (30%) of LGBT people of color were behind on rent, compared to one out of ten (10%) white LGBT people. When it comes to fearing eviction, half (51%) of LGBT people of color feared being kicked out, as opposed to 38% of white LGBT people.
There are many barriers between LGBT people and housing stability, including before COVID-19. According to the report, some of these obstacles include “Affordability in places where they live, higher rates of poverty and lower rates of homeownership.”
Before the August 2021 report, the Williams Institute analysed economic and health outcomes in Fall 2020. It found that “more LGBT than non-LGBT people reported that their ability to pay rent or mortgage got worse during the pandemic, and these disparities were experienced the most by LGBT people of color.”
July 21 – August 2, 2021, marked the first time the U.S. Census Bureau collected data based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Williams Institute analysed this period’s Household Pulse Survey to “examine the proportions of LGBT people experiencing threats to rental housing stability late in the COVID-19 pandemic–issues likely to be of increased relevance in the coming months as federal eviction protections tied to the pandemic are set to expire.”
This means that many LGBT people – especially LGBT people of color – are going to be evicted from their house and made homeless soon. The Williams Institute found that more LGBT people had experienced loss of income since the beginning of the pandemic, more than a third of LGBT people reported living in a household that has difficulty paying for general expenses, including rent.
Why renting is a disadvantage
Whether an individual rents or owns a house directly affects their housing stability, regardless of the financial complications that arise with both living arrangements. The study concludes:
“A key component of a person’s housing stability is whether they own or rent. While owning a home comes with financial risks and challenges, renters are often low-wage workers concentrated in industries likely to be impacted by declining economic activity, are paying increasingly larger shares of their income for housing, are competing over a decreasing stock of affordable units, and must regularly re-secure housing as their leasing contracts expire. Recent studies indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated risks of losing housing among renters throughout the country. The current federal eviction moratorium that is set to expire provides important protections to renters impacted by the pandemic.
Numerous studies have documented that housing stability and access can vary greatly by race and ethnicity, gender, region, parental status, and marital status—with some research suggesting that differences may exist across sexual orientation and gender identity lines. These findings indicate that racialized economic disparities persist during the pandemic, among all U.S. adults regardless of LGBT status. Further, LGBT POC adults are both more likely to be renters and to be behind on their rent compared to all other groups. Additional waves of data from the ongoing Household Pulse Survey will allow for more nuanced analysis by gender and race among LGBT people and may also reveal whether the slight differences between LGBT and non-LGBT people identified here widen.”
