Lack of trans-specific resources in OC make stable housing ‘impossible to achieve,’ report finds (2024)

Viana Maktub Serrano experienced homelessness after running away from home at 12 years old, after she said her parents forced her to cut her hair.

Serrano knew about her trans Latina identity “early in life,” she said.“Nowadays I feel very comfortable with myself, but there was a time when I was really uncomfortable.”

With time she found a home – currently she lives in Santa Ana – and now is helping inform the conversation of access to housing as one of 159 participants in a new survey about housing insecurity and injustices faced by transgender, gender diverse and intersex (TGI) people in Orange County.

The results of the“Orange County’s Inaugural TGI Survey: We Deserve Housing Justice” report— released Friday, June 21 — reveal wide disparities among TGI populations, officials said. The 2024 report was conducted by Alianza Translatinx — an O.C.-based organization led by transgender people of color in the region, whose goal is to help improve the quality of life for these communities — with financial support from CalOptima Health and the Samueli Foundation.

Officials from Alianza Translatinx said their survey seeks to understand and address common barriers — such as discrimination, financial struggles — that TGI people in Orange County face when it comes to housing. It alleges that many local organizations that serve broader LGBTQ+ groups have “historically focused on providing services and care primarily to white cisgender gay, lesbian and queer communities, offering very limited services to TGI communities of color in affirming and culturally appropriate ways.”

The nonprofit’s goal, officials said, is to secure permanent housing for TGI individuals of color, including TGI houseless individuals, and help shape future housing services and trauma-informed, culturally sound resources to meet the community’s needs.

Serrano, 65, attendeda housing survey release eventon Friday, June 21 at the Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa, where officials discussed the findings and presented possible solutions.

“We need more programs like this for the community in O.C. because you can see the need for spaces like this,” Serrano said at the event.

Like Serrano, other TGI and LGBTQ+ Orange County residents say they don’t feel welcomed in the area, fearing for their safety and ability to live out and proud, the surveyors said.

The survey was conducted both virtually and in-person at Alianza Translatinx’s headquarters in Santa Ana, and was available in English and Spanish. It rolled out in October and ended in December 2023.

All 159 of its diverse participants — representing different ages from 18 to 65+, gender identities, races and sexual orientations — live in Orange County and identify as TGI.

Among those surveyed, 72% of TGI participants identified as Latinx.

Orange County’s Latinx population is significant — the second largest population and not far behind white people, according to themost recent U.S. Census data — which does not yet but will soon ask about sexual and gender identity. There are around 90,000 LGBT people in Orange County, according to the data from National Library of Medicine.

Also, almost 80% of the survey participants said they did not know their housing rights in Orange County.

Key findings in the 2024 TGI housing justice report include:

• 44% of TGIs reported their annual income was $10,000 or less
• 68% reported experiencing housing discrimination because they were TGI
• 30% of participants identified as trans women, 25% identified as gender-queer/nonbinary
• 72% of TGI survey participants (115 respondents) identified as Latinx
• 8% live in a home they own, 9% are experiencing homelessness
• 40% of participants report not knowing where to find a shelter where they would be respected for who they are

“Across the board, Orange County policies have excluded and marginalized working-class communities of color,” the report said. “People living with HIV, immigrants, monolingual Spanish speakers and uninsured communities face structural barriers and discrimination when seeking essential healthcare, housing and accommodations.”

Though the California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, many TGI people face such barriers due to blatant discrimination and other factors.

One example the survey highlighted was from 2017, when a transgender woman was reportedly denied service at a motel in Orange, and called transphobic and hom*ophobic slurs by management, according to the CA Department of Fair Employment & Housing. The motel settled and developed employee policies for equal treatment of all customers.

There are little to no TGI-specific housing resources in the OC, Alianza Translatinx leaders say in the report.

Officials from the OC Housing and Community Development said they could not comment about the report findings as of Friday, June 21.

One person featured in the study, identified as a transmasculine individual named “Daniel,” said that many undocumented people have no access to help and resources.

“Imagine being trans and undocumented,” said Daniel. “Being trans already puts you at a disadvantage when trying to access housing due to discrimination and prejudice, the stigma the trans community faces makes it nearly impossible to achieve stable housing. Trans Housing gives us a fighting chance at having what our heteronormative counterparts already have access to that you’re not alone in the struggle.”

When asked about low-income housing qualifications, 78% of participants reported that they did not qualify for low-income housing in O.C., meaning they might not have qualified due to reasons such as not enough or too much income, unit availability, immigration status or other criteria not met.

Of those surveyed, the largest percentage of TGI folks rent with others, at 28%.

By far, the biggest disparity is the annual income of TGI persons who live in Orange County, the study said. 44% of those surveyed make less than $10,000 a year — over $5,000 less than the federal poverty line. Another 23% make between $10,000 and $20,000 a year.

Thanks to high mortgage rates, Orange County’s homebuying pace hit an all-time low in June — with only 11% of Orange County families having the financial strength to qualify to buy, according to the California Association of Realtors.

That number is even lower among TGI groups, the new survey alleges. Only 8% of those surveyed live in a house or apartment they own. Among the big employment issues faced by TGI people include a fear of being outed, incorrect usage of pronouns, judgment of appearance, or direct employer or patron discrimination.

Still, a majority of TGIs (62%) reported being employed, with only 36% being unemployed.

Khloe Rios-Wyatt, founder and CEO of Alianza Translatinx, said she experienced employment-based discrimination firsthand as a trans woman in 2017, which consequently “eroded” her self-confidence and led to deep depression.

Her employer at the time “terminated my job, citing discrepancies between my gender identity and the official documents that I presented,” Rios-Wyatt said. “This experience shattered me in ways I never thought possible. I spiraled into a dark place, battling anxiety with no job, no income, and no stable housing to rely on… (I) questioned my existence in life.”

“Sadly, my story is not unique,” Rios-Wyatt said, “as many TGI individuals in Orange County are facing similar struggles, or even worse circ*mstances today. With this report, we aim to hold those in power accountable and advocate for equitable housing resources that include trans individuals as well.”

The report also states that increasing gentrification, rent increases, discrimination and stigma against diverse LGBTQ+ communities all make it “extremely difficult” to “survive as a TGI person in Orange County,” and little is offered to communities of color within supposedly-inclusive spaces.

Of those who answered what safe and secure housing would look like for TGI residents in the area, the most common themes included places where they can be happy, and LGBTQ+-friendly, oriented communities.

Finally, Alianza Translatinx leaders recommend several things to improve housing security and equity in the O.C. for TGI people, including more accountability to end discrimination and stigma, funding TGI-specific housing options and resources, rent decreases and rent control, employment support services and more.

As part of the survey, Alianza Translatinx created a case management program in 2023. Officials said it has successfully helped 30 TGI residents find housing in O.C. over the past 10 months, and provides services such as trauma-informed housing navigation, rent assistance vouchers, mental health and healthcare resources.

“Alianza Translatinx should not be the only organization that provides resources for the community,” said Michaé De La Cuadra, one of the survey consultants. “It’s amazing that they exist, and should continue to grow and expand. But what does it look like for there to be TGI supportive resources in multiple organizations across the county?”

Gabby Vasquez, a TGI person who was homeless in Orange County for the last 10 years, was emotional following the nonprofit’s presentation on Friday.

“I feel like I’m left out in Orange County, with no resources and no help,” Vasquez, 49, said. “I’ve suffered a lot of toxicity in the streets, this work (Alianza Translatinx is doing) is amazing. Finally, somebody is saying something. This is like my voice speaking all my experiences.”