The Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) recognises that members of the LGBT+ community are disproportionately likely to have experienced an episode of homelessness in their lives, at a rate of 18% according to a 2018 Stonewall report. This increases to 28% for disabled LGBT+ people, compared to 11% for the non-disabled. One in five LGBT+ people still expect to be discriminated against in their application for social housing.  

There are various triggers that can prompt an episode of homelessness such as experiencing domestic abuse, which our previous writings show LGBT+ people are more likely to have suffered. Extended or repeated episodes of homelessness can be lethal, and this can be exacerbated by a reluctance to access healthcare or support. Unfortunately, especially among older people, there simply isn’t the data on the number of LGBT+ people who are homeless at any one time and this prevents the development of effective strategies for providing specialised support.   

We know that for vulnerable homeless people it can be difficult to access services and support. We also recognise that supporting rough sleepers can be a challenging area for frontline professionals, particularly for those with multiple health and care needs (such as isolation). This is outlined in our short animation on Homelessness, which links to our online masterclass recording. This is a free online resource which practitioners can engage with at their own pace, and which gives an overview of the legal framework for practitioners, practice challenges and the interaction with mental capacity/executive functioning.  

The LGA have also published a briefing on positive practice for Adult Safeguarding and Homelessness. This give particular focus is given to working with people experiencing multiple exclusion homelessness, and effective practice is explored through a focus on working with individuals and the multi-agency team around the person.  

Where to seek help 

Concerns that an adult with care and support needs is experiencing abuse or neglect can be reported to Lambeth Adult Social Care via the online reporting form.   

Professionals in Lambeth can also utilise the Complex Case Pathway to bring together professionals outside of the safeguarding process. This can be used to discuss challenging situations or where people face the risk of ‘falling through the gaps’. 

The Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) acknowledges as part of its strategic plan that there is a distinct lack of data being collected about the sexuality and gender orientation of its service users. This is reflected in the findings of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Safeguarding Adults Review (SARs) Analysis – Out of 289 Safeguarding Adults Reviews undertaken between 2017-19, only 6 (2.1%) of the individuals concerned were recorded as being LGBTQI+. Admittedly only 13 were positively recorded as heterosexual.  

This is indicative of heteronormativity, where heterosexuality is assumed, and a person’s LGBT status is seen as trivial or insignificant. We know that this is not true, however. A similar phenomenon is seen with the recording of religion, and again this prevents the achievement of best outcomes – without more comprehensive data, LSAB is unable to interpret, predict and react to trends. This is connected to our strategic aim of Making Safeguarding Personal, which puts the focus on those at risk rather than on strict adherence to policies and procedures. As part of our strategic aims, we want to improve the collection of equalities data so that we can better respond to the needs of service users.  

The findings of SAR Martin reflect these concerns. A 2011 report on the later life of LGB people from Stonewall shows that 35% of Gay and Bisexual men over 55 drink either “everyday” or “five or six days a week” compared to 25% for heterosexuals. The same report tells us that Gay and Bisexual men over 55 are more likely to live alone and more likely to have had a discriminatory experience with the Police (25%) and GPs (11%, more than a third having occurred in the past 5 years). Paradoxically, elderly LGB people are nearly twice as likely to expect to rely on external services if they were to fall ill compared to their heterosexual counterparts. These findings are compounded by an ICL report.   

Where to seek help 

Concerns that an adult with care and support needs is experiencing abuse or neglect (including self-neglect) can be reported to Lambeth Adult Social Care via the online reporting form.   

If you are worried and not sure who to talk to, there are also a range of different support services available via Galop.

As part of Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Board’s observance of Pride, we want to highlight the largely unrecognised issue of Domestic Violence and Abuse within the LGBT+ community. The heteronormative nature of our society often leads us to believe that Domestic Violence only occurs when a cis man abuses a cis woman, but the data simply does not support this limited view. 11% of LGBT+ people have suffered Domestic Abuse from a partner in the last year, compared to 6% for women and 3% for men in the general population – this rate increases to 19% for Trans and Non-Binary people.  

Due to the unique nature of these cases, services and charities are often not adequately prepared to support victims, especially transgender victims, who often report a lack of training and/or awareness on the part of practitioners as a reason not to seek help. This reluctance to access support can often embolden abusers to continue their behaviour, feeling safe in the knowledge that their partner is unlikely to report them or seek aid. 

LGBT+ persons may also be at greater risk of Adult Family Violence, particularly those who are from a religious background. These abuses can often be dismissed as stemming from ‘different values’, implying that someone’s beliefs, religious or otherwise, somehow legitimise their abusive behaviour. This relates to one of the unique forms of abuse within this context, that being the threat of being ‘outed’ by a partner, or in this case another family member. This could either be a form of abuse in itself or a technique used to prevent the affected party from reporting other abuse. Another form of abuse unique to the Transgender and Non-Binary community is ‘Dead-Naming’ or referring to someone by the name given to them at birth with the intention of causing harm. 

A 2022 report by Galop on LGBT+ experiences of abuse from family members found that 29% of those surveyed reported experiencing abuse from a family member, which rose to 43% for Transgender and Non-Binary people. 92% of those who had endured familial abuse reported a negative impact. 

Training for Lambeth professionals  

We would like to inform you that as part of Lambeth’s wider VAWG strategy, a free training session will be conducted by Galop on 7th July about LGBT+ people’s experience of Abuse and is open to ALL professionals working in Lambeth. 

Where to seek help 

If you or someone you know has been a victim of Domestic Abuse and you believe them or yourself to be in immediate danger – call 999. If there is no immediate danger, you can call 101 and make a report 

If you are unsure of whether what you or someone else has experienced constitutes Domestic Abuse, please refer to this resource from Galop Help, Support and Resources can be accessed via Galop, including a free helpline on 0800 999 5428, as well as a fact sheet on how to access support online safely. 

Stonewall also offers resources for LGBT+ survivors of Domestic Abuse and Violence 

In Lambeth, people experiencing domestic abuse can also seek support from the Gaia Centre by calling 020 7733 8724 or emailing lambethVAWG@refuge.org.uk

Concerns about abuse of adults with care and support needs can also be reported to Lambeth Adult Social Care via the online reporting form.

The Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) invites you to participate in this year’s Pride celebrations. According to the most recent ONS data, Lambeth has the highest relative proportion of LGBT+ residents of any Local Authority in the United Kingdom at 5.5%. This is reflective of Lambeth’s historic significance to the LGBT+ community with points of interest like Vauxhall’s Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the first building to ever be listed due to its importance in LGBT+ history.  

Unfortunately, LGBT+ residents remain marginalised and at risk of discrimination and hate crime. According to report compiled by Galop, the UK’s leading anti-LGBT+ hate crime charity, only 13% of the victims of hate crime reported the most recent instance to the police and when asked why not, 54% said they believed the police would not have done anything – only a third of those who wanted help were able to receive it. A 2017 report by Stonewall showed that 21% of LGBT+ people had been a victim of hate crime in the past 12 months, but this practically doubles to 41% for Transgender people.

A recent BBC report showed that many elderly LGBT+ people who have entered sheltered accommodation are forced ‘back into the closet’ due to discrimination from other residents. This is corroborated by the findings of a study conducted by the International Longevity Centre, that showed that not only are LGBT+ people more likely to need formal care provision but that within those settings they were less able to avoid Homo/Transphobia, reflective of their lack of autonomy. 

The LSAB is committed to protecting persons at risk from abuse and discrimination in all its forms, and in order to do this us and our partners require accurate and contemporary data. If you live, work, or socialise in Lambeth we want to hear from you – please take part in the survey being conducted by Lambeth in conjunction with the charity LGBT HERO. 

Where to seek help 

If you have experienced or witnessed a hate crime, and the persons involved are in immediate danger, then call 999  

If you have experienced or witnessed a hate crime but are not in immediate danger, then you can report it by calling 101 

If you are seeking support subsequent to having experienced a hate crime, we direct you to Lambeth Disability Hate Crime Partnership.

Specialist support can also be found via Galop, including a helpline on 020 7704 2040. They have also created a guide for LGBT+ people on Hate Crime. 

Concerns about abuse of adults with care and support needs can also be reported to Lambeth Adult Social Care via the online reporting form.