Tokyo Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival. Photo: Instagram
Japan’s capital city, Tokyo, will start giving impoverished LGBTI people free housing from November this year.
A group decided to offer the temporary housing to LGBTI people after it was revealed many end up homeless. LGBTI people who face abuse from family or lose their job because of harassment are very likely to end up poor and homeless in Japan.
LGBTI people also face difficulties renting because landlords regularly discriminate against the community because of sexual and/or gender identity.
Tsuyoshi Inaba is a member of the group providing the accommodation.
The group wants to more people to understand the housing crisis facing LGBTI people.
‘In the United States, 40 percent of young, homeless people are said to be LGBTs,’ Tsuyoshi told the Japan Times.
‘I want to raise more awareness (in Japan) about this issue.’
The housing will open in the Nakano Ward of Tokyo. LGBTI people will be welcome to stay in the free housing until they have financial stability.
The group providing the housing will crowdfund the money to pay for accommodation.
LGBTI life in Japan
Even though a number of cities in Japan have started recognizing same-sex relationships, LGBTI people face discrimination in many places including, school and the workplace.
Earlier this year, Japan’s largest housing website Suumo started providing services for LGBTI people looking to buy or rent property.
‘There are present conditions that LGBT people are struggling to find property, feeling restrictions on living together with their partner in rental houses, or refusal to allow them to move in at all. We would like to help them find friendly landlords and support their search for properties,’ the company said on its website.
