Improve your service
We’ve developed a pilot toolkit for housing and homelessness services learning how to provide safe, non-discriminatory and responsive services for takatāpui and rainbow people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. This is available to our pilot partners at the link below:
Access the Resources and Tools website (password required)
We’re working on making these tools public. Sign up for our mailing list at the end of this page to get updates when we publish new tools.
In the meantime, if you’re thinking about how to improve your services…
A few tips for supporting rainbow people
Queer, transgender and intersex people don’t all have the same needs. Check in with people about their own understanding of what they need & help them access it.
Avoid making assumptions about people or using gendered language (e.g. instead of "do you have a boyfriend?" try "do you have a partner?").
Take people seriously if they express feeling unsafe at home due to transphobia or homophobia. Many young people are turned away from emergency housing services due to a lack of understanding about the serious impacts that rejection and discrimination can have on someone's life.
Sometimes people's name or gender might not match their official documents. Make sure you always refer to them by the name and gender they tell you.
When helping people find flats, consider looking for queer and trans friendly spaces. Rainbow Housing NZ on Facebook is one place to look.
If you’re looking for emergency accommodation or housing services, consider if the service is safe and accepting for rainbow people. For example, are there gender-neutral bathrooms? Can the person sleep in a single room? It's important not to force people into a service that does not fit their gender identity.
Need more tips and advice?
Te Ngākau Kahukura’s free evaluate tool takes organisations through a self evaluation of their policies and practice. It is designed to help youth services improve their responsiveness to rainbow young people.
Supporting Aotearoa’s Rainbow People was developed as a guide for the mental health sector, but is a good introduction to rainbow identities and experiences.
LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Practice Guide for Homelessness and Housing Sectors in Australia is a practical guide for housing and homelessness services in Australia to implement systems and cultural change.
Want to get updates?
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