Covenanat House Humilates Homeless Youth, Again

[MarieDelta]

Covenant House is up to it again, this time in Houston, putting trans youth in dangerous, humiliating situations, or turning them back to the streets.

As Sassafras Lowrey, editor of the excellent anthology of LGBT youth stories "Kicked Out" (pictured above), says:


The streets steal stories. Crush the bodies of boys and girls with molars of jagged concrete; tear at tender hearts with incisors of glass shards. I tried to remember who we wanted to be. Where we came from before our names shriveled under the labels of 'at risk," "street involved," "runaways," "throwaways," "trash." The streets ingest lives. Bodies decompose in the acidic reality of survival. We were swallowed by systems incapable of digesting us. I collected the stories of my friends, repeating their histories like a chant when they moved-on or disappeared....

The sad thing is that there are many resources to help shelters and shelter workers learn how to help homeless trans youth.

Local trans advocates and local politicians in Houston held a less than satisfactory meeting with the director of the Covenant House Houston youth shelter.


The Houston Covenant House Meeting - "We Treat All With Dignity"
The following was composed and sent by Cristan Williams, Executive Director Transgender Foundation of America (TFA) on 14 June 2010:

On Friday, June 11, 2010, a meeting was held at Covenant House to discuss their long-standing practice of refusing to house transgender youth.

Those in attendance were Cristan Williams; Darin Quintero, Vice-President for Board of Directors of TFA, Jolanda Jones, City of Houston Councilwoman and her aide, Josephine; Houston Covenant House Director/CEO Rhonda Robinson and Josephine Tittsworth with the National Association of Social Workers -Texas GLBT Equity Committee.

The Director of Covenant House Houston, Rhonda Robinson stated that her position was that Covenant Houston does not refuse services to any child and that all children - even transgender children - are treated with dignity.

She went on to state that their unwritten policy is that transgender children are placed according to their anatomical sex and not their gender identity.

She went on to admit that Covenant House has no policy whatsoever concerning protecting GLBT youth and that equal treatment is, in fact, discretionary for staff.

Council Member Jones took the Covenant House director to task and stated in no uncertain terms that transgender kids need to be housed in the gender they present, that they need to be referred to as the gender they present and that no child should ever be refused services due to their transgender status. Council Member Jones also stated that she knew transgender children were being turned away because the Harris County Juvenile Probation contacted her office after Covenant House told them that they do not house transgender kids.

On April 23, 2010, TFA received the following:


I received 'shelter' at Covenant House for almost 1 week.

I was told when I arrived that I could only be there if I stayed with the girls, because I was legally female. I agreed because I had no other option, it was there or the street.

They roomed me with a female who said she felt uncomfortable being in the same room as me... the shelter's response was to pull me out of the room and insist that I sleep on the floor of the girls wing in front of the night staff.

I was constantly harassed by others in the shelter as well as the staff themselves. I was discovered to be physically intersexed by another shelter recipient who walked into the individual shower section I was in with the intent to start a fight.

When I was later told that even though I agreed to be there as a female that I could not use the female restrooms or showers, I was instructed to use a single person bathroom and shower on the first floor of the building. I was happy about that because I was obviously not comfortable using the multi-person restrooms and showers anyway.

When the girl who discovered I was intersexed told the staff, they made me get a "physical" at the little medical place attached next door. When it was confirmed I was indeed intersexed, I was told I had to leave the shelter because they had no place for me.

I was kicked out 2 days before my 16th birthday. It saddens me that shelters, especially ones aimed at youth, are allowed to be run this way.

On February 27, 2007, Cristan Williams received the following request for assistance from an HIV case manager:

I'm hoping you may be of help with this. A young transgender, 18 yrs old, is having a hard time finding someplace to stay. She mentioned trying Covenant House and not being well received, or even allowed to participate in their program due to transgender status. She mentioned encountering the same reception at shelters (Open Door Mission, Star of Hope).

In response, Cristan Williams called Covenant House. Directly after speaking with a Covenant House representative, she preserved the conversation:


Cristan: (explains the situation)

Hay: Yes we do take transgenders, but he would have to program as a male.

Cristan: Ah, so you would have a certain set of gender stereotypes this youth would have to adhere to in order to access services.

Hay: Well... um. Yah, I guess you could put it that way.

Cristan: So, if this youth looks like, sounds like and walks like a female and has breasts you would make her sleep with men?

Hay: Well, yes. He would need to be housed with men.

Cristan: How would you go about ensuring her safety then?

Hay: Well, the same way we go about providing safety for all the kids.

Cristan: I see. So would you force her to use the restroom with men, shower with men and... how would you protect her against rape?

Hay: Hum... well. It is a matter of policy. All of the Covenant Houses are like this.

Cristan: Interesting. I know that the Covenant House in California accepts transgenders and houses them with the correct gender. In other words, a male-to-female transgender youth is housed with the females.

Hay: Well, it isn't supposed to be that way... but each place makes... they might have their own programs that are a little bit different from other locations.

Cristan: Hum. In any event, so if I refer this person to you, you all will force them to live as a male? It has been my experience that doing that to trans youth is extremely psychologically damaging. How would you address that?

Hay: Well, I don't... My boss and I have had discussions about this. This is our policy. I mean, can't you imagine... If we house him with the women... What if he... you know, one night decides that he.... You know.

Cristan: Wow. I can't recall ever hearing a case like that anywhere. Ever.

Hay: Well, we have to prevent that...

Cristan: I understand, but at the same time it seems that your policy seems to be based more on fear than on rational facts. We are talking about someone who has been chemically castrated - their penis does not work.

Hay: Uh, well. We are a Catholic organization... you have to understand. We are against abortion, we...

Cristan: So, if I am understanding you correctly, you are saying that your policy - a policy that results in child homelessness and/or psychological trauma - is based upon your organizations interpretation of the Bible.

Hay: Well, I wouldn't put it that way.

Cristan: I mean, the principles your policy is based on are Biblically inspired, right?

Hay: Well, yes. The thing is, this policy comes from New York.

Cristan: I see.

Hay: Things are changing, but it will take a few years.

Cristan: Okay. Well, can you refer me to another agency that will help this child?

Hay: Hum. I don't know of any. Have you tried [names off a few providers who also refuse services to transgender people].

Cristan: Well, I appreciate your time. Actually... Would you be willing to advocate for this child. They need help maybe...

Hay: Well, again... these things take time. Really, this policy is set by New York.

Cristan: I see. Okay. Well, thank you for your time.

Hay: Well, okay.

Cristan: What was your name again? Could you spell it or me?

Hay: Victor Hay... H-A-Y.

Cristan: Okay... Thank you. Bye
...

...City of Houston Councilwoman Jolanda Jones informed all of those present at the meeting that the Houston Covenant House is receiving federal funding through the City of Houston and stated that she will take this issue up with the national headquarters for the Covenant House located in New York.

Covenant House was unable to identify any written policies on how to work with transgender children in intake, assessment, placement, and other services. Currently, all treatment is all based on subjective interpretations of what is believed at the time by the staff. The Director of the Covenant House stated the she sincerely wants to do what's best for transgender children.



Link to full article: http://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/covenant_house_humiliates_homeless_youth_again.php #more

Why do people have to be like this?

[Jackal]

I don't know but that is truly sad. Notice how they worry about what a mtf would do to the girls she should be with and not how the same kid would be treated by the boys?

[MarieDelta]

As was mentioned its based on their irrational fears. A transgender woman who has been on hormones for any length of time is going to be incapable of rape.

[DuckiesDarling]

Welcome back, Marie, sorry that your comeback post was something this tragic. Education in some areas that are designed to help all is sorely lacking.

[Long Duck Dong]

now, I am gonna play the devils advocate here cos I have a good number of years experience working with this type of issue

for a start....

you are dealing with at risk teens that could have been victims of sexual abuse.... putting a person with a penis (working or otherwise ) in a area with females that may have suffered sexual abuse, is just asking for trouble.....

on the reverse side of the coin, placing a female that is F2M trans, in a area with males and telling them to use the male facilities, is asking for trouble

in nz we put them in separate areas for their own safety and well being, as its easy to lay blame AFTER a attack, rather than act to prevent it in the first place.....

now at risk / homeless teens can be violatile, they are dealing with a lot more shit than the average teen, including sexual abuse, criminal behievour, drugs, alcohol etc etc......
the goal of any place should be to minimise the risks to the teens from any risk or issue with assault, abuse, attacks etc..... so to be honest, you need different areas.......

some teens will be ok with trans people, others will not, you have to work about the people that do have the issues, as ignoring that fact, can lead to more serious issues...

now that brings us to lack of room space etc, in shelters etc..... they are not hotels, they have limited space so they have to make do as they can.....
and yes in some cases, it means people sleeping on floors in a safer area, than in a bed when it is going to create a issue....

now marie, you make the point that a female on hormones, will not have a working penis..... so i ask, where do they get the hormones and the money for them when they are homeless, at risk teenagers that may not be on hormones.....

at the end of the day, its always easier to post threads like this... and say, look at what is going on and how wrong it is..... rather than actually spend a year or two working in areas like that and saying just how hard it is to do what people believe, is the right thing to do.....

playing the trans victim card, doesn't work that well when you are refering to at risk, homeless teens that are all victims in one way or another....
the goal is to help them all, not try and make martyrs out of one group of them at the expense of all of the teenagers......

we have to remember that the catch phrase of education and teaching of tolerance, is not going to work here... when a lot of the teenagers are homeless and dealing with a shit load of issues already..... and pushing them to accept everybody with open arms and a warm smile, is not the best thing to do.....

I, personally, would endorse a seperate area for trans people in the same way they have seperate areas for male and female, as its clear that some trans people seek that seperate area cos of their own issues with GID and other peoples reactions to them......

[Pasadenacpl2]

Our society does not know how to deal with 'other.' To assume that it is malicious is to ignore the actual problem. The actual problem is that we just don't know enough, or have a good enough plan to deal with these sorts of issues. The people working places like Covenant house are good people who work to help kids. They have certain rules designed to protect kids. And when a TS or TG child shows up, it throws those rules into a no-man's land where they have to make it up as they go along..and often they get it wrong. Not because they are intent on mistreating anyone, but because they just don't know what to do.

Tragic? Yes. Malicious? No. Need to fix it? Absolutely.

Pasa

[MarieDelta]

As was pointed out there are resources to educate on how to deal with these issues, they are available. This isnt the first time these issues have been brought up about Covenant House.

In fact it was brought up how California Covenant house deals with these same issues effectively.

Note: I am not saying that it was malicious, however it is a continuing problem with these types of organizations. Fortunately here in Denver the GLBT center functions as a shelter for homeless glbt youth.

[MarieDelta]

From the article:


Resources on Trans Youth Homelessness
I was unable to find references to any articles discussing Covenant House New York's current treatment of trans youth, but it's my impression that the 2007 New York City non-discrimination policy covering trans people in homeless shelters (http://srlp.org/dhs_policy)has made a positive difference. That might be something for Houston to consider as a remedy for this problem.

There are many other resources out there for shelters that want to help homeless youth, including transgender youth.

For example, The National Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless wrote an excellent booklet for homeless shelters on the topic of "Transitioning Our Shelters." (http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/trans_homeless)

More resources and studies and information on trans homelessnessare available from the National Center for Transgender Equality (http://www.transequality.org/Issues/homelessness.html).


From NCTE:


Resources

National Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org

Trans Communities Shelters Access Project
http://www.the519.org/programs/trans/access_project/index.shtml

The National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Transgender Civil Rights Project
'Transitioning Our Shelters: A Guide to Making Shelters Safe for Transgender People'
http://www.thetaskforce.org/library/index.cfm

The Boston Public Health Commission Protocol for Serving Transgender Guests and Health Services Guidelines for Serving Transgender Guests
http://www.transgenderlaw.org/resources/transprotocol.pdf

Denver's Urban Peak Project
http://urbanpeak.org/

Silvia Rivera Law Project
http://www.srlp.org

[MarieDelta]

now, I am gonna play the devils advocate here cos I have a good number of years experience working with this type of issue

for a start....

you are dealing with at risk teens that could have been victims of sexual abuse.... putting a person with a penis (working or otherwise ) in a area with females that may have suffered sexual abuse, is just asking for trouble.....

on the reverse side of the coin, placing a female that is F2M trans, in a area with males and telling them to use the male facilities, is asking for trouble

in nz we put them in separate areas for their own safety and well being, as its easy to lay blame AFTER a attack, rather than act to prevent it in the first place.....

now at risk / homeless teens can be violatile, they are dealing with a lot more shit than the average teen, including sexual abuse, criminal behievour, drugs, alcohol etc etc......
the goal of any place should be to minimise the risks to the teens from any risk or issue with assault, abuse, attacks etc..... so to be honest, you need different areas.......

some teens will be ok with trans people, others will not, you have to work about the people that do have the issues, as ignoring that fact, can lead to more serious issues...

now that brings us to lack of room space etc, in shelters etc..... they are not hotels, they have limited space so they have to make do as they can.....
and yes in some cases, it means people sleeping on floors in a safer area, than in a bed when it is going to create a issue....

now marie, you make the point that a female on hormones, will not have a working penis..... so i ask, where do they get the hormones and the money for them when they are homeless, at risk teenagers that may not be on hormones.....

at the end of the day, its always easier to post threads like this... and say, look at what is going on and how wrong it is..... rather than actually spend a year or two working in areas like that and saying just how hard it is to do what people believe, is the right thing to do.....

playing the trans victim card, doesn't work that well when you are refering to at risk, homeless teens that are all victims in one way or another....
the goal is to help them all, not try and make martyrs out of one group of them at the expense of all of the teenagers......

we have to remember that the catch phrase of education and teaching of tolerance, is not going to work here... when a lot of the teenagers are homeless and dealing with a shit load of issues already..... and pushing them to accept everybody with open arms and a warm smile, is not the best thing to do.....

I, personally, would endorse a seperate area for trans people in the same way they have seperate areas for male and female, as its clear that some trans people seek that seperate area cos of their own issues with GID and other peoples reactions to them......

So F/F sexual assault isnt a risk? What about M/M sexual assault?

Having( or not) a penis doesnt mean that sexual assault doesnt happen.

In addition why does it matter where/how she gets her hormones? Presumably the same place she gets her HIV meds?

[Long Duck Dong]

I am not excluding them at all, but its a more complex issue, was the person sexually assaulted as the gender they present as, or born as.....

either way, they are not less a valid issue or threat, than f/m sexual assault, but nor it is confined to trans people only... sexual assault is something that can happen between any gender and sexuality....

with the hormones, I was refering to a age of any trans not one..... teens are less likely to be on hormones than a older trans person with more time and chance to have spent longer on regular hormones.....

and yes... there are guidelines to how to deal with teenagers.... but we are talking about teenagers dealing with teenagers.... in disputes and acts of desperation, they generally do not follow guidelines in books or websites, so the guidelines better work for people running safe houses and do not always apply

[MarieDelta]

I am not excluding them at all, but its a more complex issue, was the person sexually assaulted as the gender they present as, or born as.....

either way, they are not less a valid issue or threat, than f/m sexual assault, but nor it is confined to trans people only... sexual assault is something that can happen between any gender and sexuality....

with the hormones, I was refering to a age of any trans not one..... teens are less likely to be on hormones than a older trans person with more time and chance to have spent longer on regular hormones.....

and yes... there are guidelines to how to deal with teenagers.... but we are talking about teenagers dealing with teenagers.... in disputes and acts of desperation, they generally do not follow guidelines in books or websites, so the guidelines better work for people running safe houses and do not always apply


Teens are equally likely to be on hormones, all it takes is for them to be on them a year under the SOC in the US they are then kept on hormones from what I have read. Hormones arent *that* hard to get through grey market sources. I've known several folks who do it that way.

Sometimes trans folk (especially homeless teens) contract HIV through the sharing of needles from grey market hormone sources.

[Long Duck Dong]

Teens are equally likely to be on hormones, all it takes is for them to be on them a year under the SOC in the US they are then kept on hormones from what I have read. Hormones arent *that* hard to get through grey market sources. I've known several folks who do it that way.

Sometimes trans folk (especially homeless teens) contract HIV through the sharing of needles from grey market hormone sources.

but not all trans teens are on hormones, thats my point......and not all teens have the ability to get access to the hormones.....

you and I both know that realising that one is a trans person, then taking the steps to actively change who we are, is two different things...... tho I am not trans, I have worked with them many many times.....

you have posted yourself, the issues you are dealing with, yourself, and its something I heavily sympathise with........ I wish that the us was like nz, your transition is covered under the health system as its regarded as a real health issue that needs to be addressed fully.....

because this is a * safe * site, I will reveal that a number of times in the past, my sister and myself had sheltered trans people that were in need of support and housing, cos they were at risk, and the system was not able to deal with them, on the level they needed.....
if it was ever found out back than what I was doing, I would have received a lifetime ban from doing counselling and therapy work, for overstepping the boundaries and making a persons plight, a personal crusade......

thank god, the trans are better looked after now in NZ..... but even now, there are people that are in positions of responsibility that are just not able to deal with and relate to trans people and their needs......

[MarieDelta]

Honey, trans kids get hormones the same way they get other drugs. If there is a need there will be a supplier. You *can* buy them on the street. And yes, some kids do know they want to transition at 5 yo.

I guess I thought I had answered that question. Maybe you are asking something different?

If you want to learn more about trans kids life on the streets, in the US. I suggest you check out Transparent by Cris Beam (http://www.transparentthebook.com/)

Here's an excerpt:


Chapter One

School

Here’s what you see when you drive down Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Boulevard just east of La Brea: A 7-11, a Shakey’s Pizza, a low concrete building with fish painted on the side, and a taco stand. There’s a Chinese takeout place and a XXX video rental shop, a filling station and four lanes of traffic, two in each direction. Old people waiting for the bus. Young mothers dragging children in flip flops. A discount dollar store, a laundromat, and a bunch of teenagers standing around and smoking. If you stare for more than a minute, you may note that most of these teenagers are girls, and that they’re more ethnically varied than other cliques in this segregated town. But that’s it. Santa Monica Boulevard’s got the sun-bleached, chain store feeling of most of L.A.

If you’re a transgender girl (meaning you were born male but live as a female), you might notice something extra along this stretch of Santa Monica. It’s here that you’ll find girls trading secrets about how to shoot up the black market hormones purchased from the swap meets in East L.A. If the hormones don’t work fast enough to manifest your inner vision of wider hips and c-cups, you can find out about “pumping parties” out in the Valley, where a former veterinarian or a “surgeon’s wife” from Florida will shoot free floating industrial-grade silicone into hips, butts, breasts, knees—even cheeks and foreheads. Of course this is dangerous when the oils shift and form hard lumps in the armpits and thighs, but you’ll look good for a while.

On Santa Monica, you can learn which dance clubs, like Arena (with its crudely painted ocean mural on the outside), let in underage kids and have go-go boxes for dancing. You can learn which motels, one block up on Sunset, are safe and clean and have weekly rates. You can find out about the telemarketing company that hires transgender youth, no matter what they look like, to sell garbage bags and first aid kits over the telephone. Of course, for the job, you’ll have to memorize a script saying that you’re handicapped and that these household items are offered at higher prices because they provide employment to mentally handicapped people like yourself. And though it makes you sick to say it, this technically won’t be a lie; transgender people are still dubbed ‘mentally ill’ by the medical community, the way gay people were in the 70’s. This is how the telemarketing firm gets away with cheap labor.