akt

🎉 We’re thrilled to share that akt has been featured in not one but TWO major publications this week — Inside Housing 🏘️ and The Big Issue 📰 Both pieces shine a light on a crisis we see every day: 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ young people are being overlooked and undercounted in homelessness data — and it’s putting lives at risk. Here’s why this vital data is missing 👇 📌 Most homelessness services don’t record sexual orientation or gender identity 📌 Young people may not feel safe disclosing who they are 📌 Being LGBTQ+ is rarely recognised as a cause of homelessness 📌 “Hidden homelessness” like sofa surfing isn’t always captured 📌 No national requirement to track LGBTQ+ homelessness 📌 Lack of staff training means inconsistent data collection 🗣️ As our CEO Adam Pemberton Wickham writes in Inside Housing: “What gets counted, counts.” ✍️ And in Big Issue, our Marketing Manager Melissa Gilpin explains why LGBTQ+ youth homelessness must be treated as its own crisis — not just part of a wider issue. Too many LGBTQ+ young people are falling through the cracks. 💔 At akt, we’re working to change that — and we’re grateful to both publications for helping amplify this message. 🙌 🔗 Read both articles here: https://lnkd.in/eKNC7B4w https://lnkd.in/eEG8PCm8

🌈 Today on Autism Acceptance Day, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible neurodiversity within our akt community. At akt, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it. Around 50% of our staff team are neurodivergent, as are many of the young people we support. Neurodiversity brings creativity, resilience, and the ability to see beyond society's expectations — something many LGBTQ+ people can relate to. In fact, there are deep connections between being LGBTQ+ and being neurodivergent — and it’s not that autism causes queerness, but that autistic people often process and understand the world differently. Many autistic people are less tied to societal expectations and more likely to question the so-called "norms" around gender and sexuality. This can make autistic people feel freer to step outside of rigid binaries — exploring identities beyond “man” or “woman”, “straight” or “gay”. We see this reflected directly in the young people we work with. In the past year alone, 54% of young people who completed a triage form with akt identified as neurodivergent — that’s 243 out of 431 young people. This speaks volumes about how common, and important, neurodivergence is within the LGBTQ+ community. Research backs this up too. Studies, including Warrier et al. (2020), show that autistic people are two to three times more likely to be trans or gender diverse than non-autistic people. In our wider research, 32% of LGBTQ+ young people facing homelessness reported having a disability, and many more live with unrecognised or undiagnosed conditions due to barriers in accessing support. However, despite this, young people who are both LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent face significant barriers: 1) Many experience family rejection, where both their LGBTQ+ identity and neurodivergence play a role. 2) Long NHS waiting lists make access to diagnosis, therapy, and mental health support difficult, with many relying on self-diagnosis. 3) Neurodivergence and mental health challenges make finding safe, suitable housing even harder — often leaving young people isolated, unsafe, or at risk of homelessness. That’s why at akt, we are committed to being an actively inclusive organisation where neurodivergent young people and staff are welcomed, empowered, and celebrated. So today and every day, we celebrate autistic and neurodivergent LGBTQ+ young people. We see you. We love you. We're fighting for you. 💛 #AutismAcceptanceDay #Neurodiversity #PrideInDiversity

🏳️⚧️✨ Trans Day of Visibility 2025 ✨🏳️⚧️   At akt, we spend 365 days a year championing trans and non-binary young people — listening, advocating, and fighting for a world where no young person has to choose between being themselves and having a safe place to live. But on Trans Day of Visibility, we take the opportunity to amplify trans voices and push our message even further. Here's how we’ve been marking it this week:   🌟 We launched our Trans Pathway Peer Research Over the past three years, our Trans Pathway project has supported 95 trans and non-binary young people facing homelessness with holistic, trans-led support. Now, with the help of two incredible peer researchers — young trans people with lived experience — we are sharing the project’s insights and learnings through our new Peer Research Report. This research will not only shape akt’s future work but will help the wider sector become more trans-inclusive and improve support for trans and non-binary young people facing homelessness. Read our new report here: https://lnkd.in/dhXUgExK   🌟 We brought the conversation to British Airways Our CEO Adam Pemberton Wickham spoke directly to BA staff about the importance of trans visibility and how organisations can meaningfully embed trans inclusion into their cultures — especially where trans voices are still underrepresented. (Bonus points for the trans flag Converse worn on the day! 🏳️⚧️👟)   🌟 We are speaking at the Trans and Nonbinary Leadership Summit We’re proud that one of our young people, with the support of our patron Jake Graf, will be sharing their story at Out Leadership’s summit — from homelessness, to finding community and secure housing with akt, to now having the confidence to tell their story publicly. This is the power of trans joy, resilience, and youth leadership. Today we celebrate trans visibility, but we also recommit to the everyday work of building safer, more inclusive futures for trans young people.   Because trans youth deserve not just visibility, but safe homes, community, and the chance to thrive. 🏳️⚧️💖   #TransDayOfVisibility #TDOV

📢 Celebrating Our Groundbreaking Research & Media Spotlight! 🏳️🌈📰 We are overwhelmed by the incredible response to "There's No Place Like Home", the most in-depth study of its kind on LGBTQ+ youth homelessness, commissioned by us akt in collaboration with and produced by the University of Kent, University of Bristol and University of Southampton. This vital research sheds light on the challenges LGBTQ+ young people face when experiencing homelessness and highlights the urgent need for systemic change. But we can't stop here—this must become part of the mainstream conversation! LGBTQ+ youth homelessness is still a huge issue in our community, and we need to activate real change. A HUGE thank you to everyone who made this possible! 💜✨ 💬 To the young people who told us their stories. 📊 To those who took the time to fill in our survey. 🏡 To the other housing and homelessness organisations we interviewed. 🌈 To the dedicated staff at akt who participated in the study. 📝 To the incredible researchers—especially University of Kent—who led this vital work! Namely Carin Tunaker and Trude Diesen Sundberg 📢 To Citypress for their support with media and press. 🎨 To Isabella Borgers for designing this beautiful report. 🔥 To the incredible akt team who worked tirelessly to bring this project to life! The research has been making waves! 🌍🎉 Thank you to GAY TIMES, Inside Housing, and Housing Digital for featuring and amplifying this important work. But we need everyone to know about this crisis. LGBTQ+ young people deserve better. Let’s keep the momentum going—please keep sharing, keep talking, and keep demanding action! 🚀 📖 Read the full report here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eJCG7Rge Every share helps raise awareness and push for real change. Let’s make sure every LGBTQ+ young person has a safe place to call home. 🏡💜

🏳️🌈 Beyond Labels: How Intersectionality Defines the LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness Crisis Intersectionality shapes experiences of homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth, intensifying barriers to support and increasing vulnerability. Key findings include: 🏳️⚧️ Trans and non-binary youth are disproportionately impacted by homelessness. ✊ Racialised LGBTQ+ young people face compounded racism and discrimination. 🧠 Neurodivergent and disabled LGBTQ+ youth encounter greater difficulties accessing inclusive support. ⚠️ Intersectional identities significantly heighten risk and complexity of homelessness. Explore these insights further in akt's latest research 👉 Read the report here: https://bit.ly/4iKukdU

🏠 No two journeys into and out of homelessness are the same. While some experiences may be more common—such as an LGBTQ+ young person being forced to leave home after coming out—each young person’s path is shaped by a complex mix of circumstances, challenges, and vulnerabilities. 💡 Homelessness doesn’t start the moment someone loses their home. Some young people spend years in unsafe or unsuitable housing before reaching crisis point. Others dip in and out of homelessness, moving between temporary accommodation, staying with friends, or even using dating apps for a place to sleep. For many, homelessness is not a one-time event—without the right support, trauma and instability can lead to repeated episodes. ❌ One-size-fits-all solutions don’t work. We need policies and support systems that recognise the diversity of LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and provide flexible, long-term support. 🏳️🌈 At @aktcharity, we support young people no matter where they are in their journey—helping them find not just housing, but stability, safety, and a future. 📢 Read our latest research to understand LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and how we can create real change. 🔗https://bit.ly/4kRk1GE

🚨 Trans, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ young people from racialised minorities face even greater risks of homelessness. 🚨 🏠 Homelessness isn’t one-size-fits-all. The challenges LGBTQ+ young people face are worsened by intersecting vulnerabilities—from transphobia and racism to mental health struggles and lack of legal protections. 📊 Our latest research exposes the devastating impact of intersectionality: ⚠️ More than 1 in 3 trans young people (37%) have experienced hidden homelessness—compared to 22% of their cisgender LGBTQ+ peers. 🚨 Non-binary young people are TWICE as likely as women to be at risk of homelessness. 🏠 LGBTQ+ young people from racialised minorities are 50% more likely to experience hidden homelessness. 🧠 Mental health struggles significantly increase the risk of homelessness—37% of LGBTQ+ young people with mental health conditions experience homelessness vs. 19% without. ❌ LGBTQ+ young people sleeping rough have higher support needs for drug use (42%) and alcohol use (27%), yet services fail to meet these needs. Current laws fail to protect these young people. The Housing Act 1997 and the Homelessness Code of Guidance do not adequately recognise the compounding impact of LGBTQ+ identities, racialisation, and mental health issues on homelessness. 🔎 These are not just statistics. They represent real young people being let down by a system that doesn’t recognise or prioritise their needs. It’s time for change. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 📢 Read the full report and help us push for urgent action. 🔗https://bit.ly/4kMrgiX

🚨 "They wanted to ‘fix’ me, but I am not broken. Finding a safe space meant I could finally start living as my true self." 🚨 🏳️🌈 Nadeem’s story is one of resilience—but it should never have happened in the first place. A 20-year-old queer Pakistani Muslim from the North-East, Nadeem grew up in a strict religious household. When his mother discovered he was using dating apps, his family forced him into conversion therapy—determined to "cure" his sexuality. 💔 This is the reality for too many LGBTQ+ young people. 🔴 Denied priority status for homelessness support because he couldn’t "prove" the abuse he endured. 🔴 Trapped in an abusive relationship because he had nowhere else to go. 🔴 Left without options—bouncing between temporary stays with friends and unsafe living situations. With the support of akt and other community groups, Nadeem has found a path forward—one where he no longer has to justify his existence. 🏠 Nadeem’s story isn’t unique. Our latest research shows: 📊 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ young people have experienced homelessness. ⚠️ LGBTQ+ young people are often denied support due to a lack of 'evidence' of abuse. 🏳️⚧️ Intersections of faith, culture, and sexuality make some LGBTQ+ young people even more vulnerable. 🏳️🌈 No one should have to fight to be recognised, housed, or safe. 📢 Download the full report and help us push for change. 🔗 https://bit.ly/41V5H8v

🚨 LGBTQ+ young people facing homelessness are not being taken seriously. 🚨 For too many LGBTQ+ young people, homelessness is more than just a lack of housing—it’s about being dismissed, denied support, and left without options. 📊 Our latest research exposes alarming failures in the system: 🏠 Many LGBTQ+ young people have experienced domestic abuse—but struggle to get priority housing status because their abuse is difficult to evidence or simply not recognised. ❌ Few housing services cater to LGBTQ+ young people. Only 10% of services are LGBTQ+ exclusive, while 41% of mainstream services don’t see LGBTQ+ support as a priority. 📉 Government data is failing LGBTQ+ youth. The current figures drastically underestimate the true scale of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness, leaving countless young people without the help they need. This landmark study, conducted in collaboration with the Universities of Kent, Bristol, and Southampton, reveals the systemic neglect LGBTQ+ young people face when trying to access housing support. 🚨 We need urgent action. LGBTQ+ young people deserve to be recognised, supported, and housed. 📢 Download the full report & help us push for change. 🔗 https://bit.ly/3FdJPwr Every young person deserves a safe home. No one should be left behind. 💜

🏠 “I had a home, but I never felt safe in it. Leaving was terrifying, but thanks to akt, I finally have a chance to rebuild my life.” For many LGBTQ+ young people, homelessness doesn’t start when they step outside—it starts the moment home stops being safe. Alys, a 23-year-old non-binary and pansexual person, grew up in a deeply religious household where their identity was never accepted. When their father outed them in a drunken outburst, Alys fled—only to end up in an abusive relationship, then facing rejection from mainstream housing services. ❌ Their local council refused their homeless application due to a ‘lack of evidence’. 🛏️ They spent months sofa surfing, moving from one unsafe place to another. 💜 With akt’s help, they successfully appealed and secured temporary accommodation. Alys’ story isn’t unique. Our latest report with the Universities of Kent, Bristol, and Southampton exposes the hidden crisis of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness: 📊 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ young people have experienced homelessness. 🏠 LGBTQ+ young people are twice as likely to experience hidden homelessness—sofa surfing, sleeping in cars, or unsafe temporary housing. ⚠️ Mainstream housing services are failing them. We must do better. No young person should be denied housing because their abuse isn’t ‘documented enough’. 📢 Read the full report and help us shine a light on this crisis. 🔗https://bit.ly/3F8WMrh