New cross-country findings show how systemic stigma and economic vulnerability push LGBTI people into hidden homelessness and long-term instability.
Brussels, 21/11/2025 – A new report published today by Europe’s leading LGBTI organisation, ILGA-Europe, brings together research from Italy, Spain, Germany, and Slovenia, offering telling insights into hidden homelessness for LGBTI people, the economic impact of homelessness, and the cost of stigma.
“The Power of Data: Addressing LGBTI Homelessness in Europe” presents findings from research conducted between July 2023 and July 2024 by five LGBTI organisations: QUORE (Italy), the Black Sex Worker Collective (Germany), Ljubljana Pride (Slovenia), and the joint work of Ahora Donde and ACATHI (Spain). These organisations, supported and funded by ILGA-Europe in the framework of funding from the European Commission, combined quantitative analysis, interviews, and local expertise to document the prevalence, causes, and consequences of LGBTI homelessness across four European contexts.
“The findings reaffirm what LGBTI communities have long known: homelessness is not just a housing problem, it is driven by systemic compounded barriers that push people out of safety, stability and support ,” said Anastasia Smirnova, Programmes Director at ILGA-Europe. “LGBTI individuals face unique risks, including family rejection, discrimination, and institutional neglect. Addressing LGBTI homelessness means confronting intersecting forms of systemic discrimination, oppression, social exclusion, and violations of fundamental rights that affect not only housing security but also access to fair treatment, safety, and community belonging.”
Regional Insights:
- In Germany, research by the Black Sex Worker Collective finds that the stigma attached to sex work is a principal barrier to stable housing for Black LGBTI Sex Workers.
- In Italy, the QUORE LGBTI organisation finds that minority stress, including experienced, perceived, and internalised stigma, drives and perpetuates homelessness within the LGBTI community.
- In Slovenia, the economic impact of LGBTI homelessness is significant as homelessness disrupts education and early career paths, ultimately resulting in a lifetime earnings loss.
- In Spain, Ahora Donde and ACATHI’s research highlights family rejection, social isolation, and discrimination as key factors, and dives deeper into hidden homelessness patterns amongst couch-surfers.
Urgent need for action
The briefing highlights the success of and need for interventions specifically designed to counter structural exclusion: specialised shelters, housing-first approaches, trauma-informed care, and peer support programmes. Yet these remain isolated examples, emphasising the urgent need for coordinated policy action across Europe.
ILGA-Europe urges policymakers, service providers, and civil society organisations to:
- Integrate LGBTI-specific considerations into national homelessness strategies.
- Expand targeted, trauma-informed and intersectionally-aware support services.
- Invest in research and data collection in collaboration with local LGBTI and service organisations to understand the full scope of LGBTI homelessness.
- Address the systemic discrimination, structural oppression, and social exclusion driving homelessness among LGBTI people.
“LGBTI homelessness is not inevitable; it is the result of systems that can and must change,” added Smirnova. “Evidence shows that change happens when governments, service providers and communities work in unison to understand and remove structural barriers. This means inclusive policies and sustained funding from governments, equitable and accessible services from providers, and strong community networks that promote safety and belonging.”
The full briefing, “The Power of Data. Addressing LGBTI Homelessness in Europe: Findings from research in Italy, Spain, Germany and Slovenia” is available here.
About the briefing:
This briefing summarises and presents the key findings from research carried out in 2023-2024 in the framework of ILGA-Europe’s ‘No One Left Behind’ programme by five LGBTI partner organisations: QUORE in Italy; Black Sex Worker Collective in Germany; Ljubljana Pride in Slovenia; as well as Ahora Donde and ACATHI in Spain.
Launched in 2020, the ‘No One Left Behind’ programme enables LGBTI organisations to build capacity, conduct research and advocate for socio‑economic justice, addressing the underlying causes of exclusion experienced by LGBTI people across Europe.
