There are an estimated 1.6 million homeless young people in the United States. Lucky S. Michaels used to be one of them.

“My mother and us four boys of hers were victims of domestic violence—my stepfather was physically abusing all of us,” says Lucky. “She packed us all up late one night, while he was out of the house, and escaped with us. We all stayed in a women's shelter in Detroit. It is memories of that time of my life that set me on a lifelong path, helping homeless, street-involved and disenfranchised youth.”

Today Lucky works as an administrator and outreach manager at Sylvia’s Place—one of four homeless shelters for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ) young people in New York City. The shelters are run by Metropolitan Community Church of New York (MCCNY) Homeless Youth Services.

Lucky recently wrote a book called Shelter, which includes photographs of the young residents of the homeless center and the stories of their lives. The book raises awareness about the disturbing discrimination that GLBTQ young people face in their families and in society. In Shelter, we get a glimpse of the complex lives of young people with street names like Malice, Eternity, Charlene and Benji. Sex, Etc. interviewed Lucky to find out more.

Sex, Etc.: How did you produce Shelter?

Lucky: I photographed the whole project. I then interviewed the main characters. So the text is their first-person accounts of being homeless interspersed with facts about homeless youth.

Sex, Etc.: Why are homeless shelters for GLBTQ people, like Sylvia's Place, necessary?

Lucky: At other shelters in the city, the GLBTQ population tends to be the target of harassment, sexual abuse and physical abuse. The staff of these facilities is often untrained in how to deal with the needs of GLBTQ clients. And the staff leaves GLBTQ young people to fend for themselves, which means many of them continue to be exploited.

The transgender kids—[teens whose identity as masculine or feminine doesn’t match their biological sex]—often need proper medical and psychiatric services, which they need while transitioning [from male to female or female to male.]

Over 3,000 young people are utilizing our programs daily. And over 1,500 of them identified as GLBTQ, but currently there are only 72 crisis beds for this specific population in the city.

Sex, Etc.: How old are the people who seek shelter at Sylvia's Place?

Lucky: The youth that we serve at MCCNY Homeless Youth Services are 15 to 23 years of age.

Sex, Etc.: How comfortable were the residents with telling you their stories? And
how did you get them to agree to be photographed?

Lucky: All of the residents that are pictured in the book went through an assessment and released consent to have their images in the book. Any youth that were not stable or not interested in having their photos taken were not ever photographed and not pictured in the book.

All of the main characters were actually flattered and enjoyed being role models to get their stories out in the world to promote social change and bring awareness to their circumstances and needs. These youth are often kicked out of their homes due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. They want people that have never heard what they have faced to know what happens when they are kicked out and surviving on the streets.

Hopefully, parents will learn about how difficult it is for these young people and stop kicking them out. We need to start funding more services like ours to support this population that, for the most part, is overlooked by society.

Sex, Etc.: How can other teens help out?

Lucky: Teens can and do help out in a number of ways. We have youth groups from across the country come to make food, help us clean our facilities and interact with our youth through scheduled volunteer days. Volunteering at the center can be a life-changing experience for all teens involved. Teens who visit consider what it would be like to be kicked out of their homes because of who they are attracted to or because they dress differently.

Also, youth have organized at school and come up with donation drives, collecting food, clothing, socks, underwear, toiletries and supplies needed for our clients on a daily basis. We inevitably run out of these supplies because of the high number of youth that utilize our services. Collecting financial donations and getting parents and communities involved is also a huge help.

Joining or starting a gay-straight alliance (GSA) at your school is also a big help for our kids indirectly. We serve kids as young as 14 and15 who are homeless, still in school and often have few friends because of who they are.

Sexuality is a tough issue to deal with as a teen. And GLBTQ teens don’t always have the acceptance, understanding and support that they need at this very fragile age. Raising awareness about this underserved population will also help to change the world, which is why I did the book in the first place. You should read it. :)

Want to volunteer? Go to HomelessYouthServices.org and fill out a volunteer application. If you’re interested in setting up events or visits to Sylvia’s Place, call Lucky at 212-222-6003.