U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley ( IL-5th District )who is vice chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus and vice chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Housingled a letter to Housing and Urban Development ( HUD ) Secretary Ben Carson on his agency's ongoing failure to meet the deadline for review of crucial LGBT nondiscrimination guidance documents, according to a press release.
After questioning Carson about the disappearance of these resources in June 2017, Quigley invited him to come to Chicago to meet with LGBT advocates and get a better understanding of the housing challenges that face the LGBT community. During the meeting this past July, the advocates explained the importance of these guidance documents.
An estimated 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ. According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, nearly one-third ( 30 percent ) of transgender individuals have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, with one in eight ( 12 percent ) saying they experienced homelessness in the past year because of their gender identity.
Other signers include Representatives David Price ( NC-04 ), Peter Welch ( VT-At Large ), Seth Moulton ( MA-06 ), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott ( VA-03 ), Mary Gay Scanlon ( PA-05 ), Jackie Speier ( CA-14 ), Eleanor Holmes Norton ( DC ), Charlie Crist ( FL-13 ), Frank Pallone, Jr. ( NJ-06 ), Katherine Clark ( MA-05 ), Pete Aguilar ( CA-31 ), Jan Schakowsky ( IL-09 ), Dan Kildee ( MI-05 ), Tony Cardenas ( CA-29 ), Max Rose ( NY-11 ), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson ( GA-04 ), Susan A. Davis ( CA-53 ), Linda T. Sanchez ( CA-38 ), Ann McLane Kuster ( NH-02 ), Raja Krishnamoorthi ( IL-08 ), Ted W. Lieu ( CA-33 ), Angie Craig ( MN-02 ), Gilbert R. Cisneros ( CA-39 ) and Jerrold Nadler ( NY-10 ).
The letter is at quigley.house.gov/sites/quigley.house.gov/files/013119CarsonHUDLGBTLetter.pdf .