• Find Shelter: This website helps people facing homelessness find resources in their communities including shelter, food pantries, clothing, and health clinics.
• Housing Assistance: This resource helps individuals connect with homeless service providers, local food banks, and health services, in addition to providing information on affordable rental housing and homeownership, and tenant rights and responsibilities.

Tools for Housing, Shelter, and Service Providers

• Reporting Gender in the PIT Count: Individuals experiencing homelessness can now report multiple gender identities in the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. This document provides CoCs with guidance for how to report multiple gender identities for the PIT Count data submission.
• LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative: This resource provides insight from communities that participated in the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative. The initiative goals were to facilitate better local collaboration and helping federal agencies and local communities on how to implement community-wide strategies for preventing homelessness for at risk LGBTQ youth. This resource highlights two projects, Harris County (Texas) and Hamilton County (Ohio), on successful strategies in supporting LGBTQI+ youth experiencing homelessness that they noted from the duration of the initiative.
• Emerging Practices to Enhance Safety at Congregate Shelter: This four-part guide combines practices from shelters across the country that have successfully supported safer operational environments as examples of how to create safe, accessible, and inclusive congregate shelters.

Equal Access Rule Tools and Resources (for HUD program participants)

• LGBTQ Homelessness: This section of the HUD Exchange establishes a central clearinghouse of resources for the LGBTQI+ community, including information on and links to HUD's Equal Access Rule and program guidance, a toolkit on supporting transgender-inclusive projects, information on HUD's initiative for the community-wide prevention of LGBTQI+ youth homelessness, and links to LGBTQI+ resources and research reports.
• Equal Access Assessment Tool (EAAT): This tool provides specific action steps for HUD recipients and subrecipients to meet the requirements of the Equal Access Rule in shelters and other facility settings. The EAAT helps assess compliance with regulations and best practices and covers requirements regarding the creation of policies and procedures, the responsibility to train staff and contractors, and communications to residents about their rights and protections.
• Equal Access for Transgender People: Supporting Inclusive Housing and Shelters Guide training scenarios: This guide focuses on project-level policies and procedures, requirements and recommendations specific to single-sex facilities, and resources for creating practical documents like signage, intake forms, and other written policies and procedures.
• SNAPS In Focus: Equal Access for Transgender People: This issue of SNAPS In Focus provides guidance on how to ensure that all persons experiencing homelessness have access to inclusive and nondiscriminatory housing focusing on transgender individuals.
• Ask A Question (AAQ) portal. Specific questions requesting formal HUD program guidance on the Equal Access Rule can be submitted to this portal by selecting the appropriate program – CoC: Continuum of Care, ESG: Emergency Solutions Grants, or HOPWA: Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS – and entering “Equal Access Rule” for the subject. Information on the portal website is available for questions related to other programs.
• Equal Access Expectations: Training Scenarios for Use with Project Staff - HUD Exchange: This guide provides seven training scenarios that can guide providers on how to navigate conversations when interacting with residents, staff members, and supervisors in a way that is LGBTQI+ inclusive to ensure a safe and welcoming environment to those receiving assistance.
• HUD Withdraws Proposed Rule, Reaffirms Its Commitment to Equal Access to Housing, Shelters, and Other Services Regardless of Gender Identity (April 21, 2021)

Tools for Fair Housing Organizations:

• Bostock and Beyond: Practical Applications of LGBTQIA+ Fair Housing Protections (June 26, 2024): The National Fair Housing Training Academy held a forum designed to enhance fair housing professionals’ understanding of the fair housing protections afforded to the LGBTQI+ community. The forum’s panelists will provide insight into housing experiences of LGBTQI+ individuals who have a higher risk of experiencing housing discrimination and will highlight how housing providers can utilize robust non-discrimination housing policies and practices to foster a diverse and inclusive housing environment.
• Strategies for LGBTQI+ and Gender Identity Housing Discrimination Investigations (November 17, 2021): HUD’s National Fair Housing Training Academy held a forum focused on how sexual orientation and gender identity are covered by the Fair Housing Act and what constitutes a prima facie case of discrimination. The forum included training to improve cultural competency, and identified testing and investigative tools that may be utilized to investigate cases that allege discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• LGBTQ+: Fostering Understanding and Strengthening Fair Housing for All (April 14, 2021): HUD’s National Fair Housing Training Academy held a forum focusing on preventing and combating housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The forum included a roundtable conversation on building cultural competencies, case studies, along with additional resources for advocacy, education, and outreach.

Grants for Fair Housing Organizations

• The Fair Housing Initiative Program’s Education and Outreach Initiative has made funding available to educate the public and housing providers about compliance with fair housing laws, with specific grants for outreach regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Examples of previous grants:
  • In April 2024, HUD awarded five organizations a cumulative total of $375,000.
  • In March 2023, HUD awarded seven organizations a cumulative total of $500,000.