Nowhere to Belong: Exploring LGBTQ+ Youth Experiences in Group Homes and Congregate Placements

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more (LGBTQ+) youth are overrepresented in foster care and are more vulnerable to placement instability, rejection, and harm. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of 18 LGBTQ+ foster care alumni who had spent at least 1 year in congregate care or group home placements. Participants were recruited through foster care alumni associations and advocacy networks using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to identify core patterns across participant narratives. The study reveals patterns of rejection of LGBTQ+ identities, emotional isolation, and systemic neglect in congregate care and group home placements. Participants shared insightful narratives that describe the ways in which congregate care placements often occur in the aftermath of family rejection and placement disruption, and how these environments served to reinforce internalized narratives in which youth feel unworthy of love and unfit for family. The overwhelming experience was one of emotional isolation, heightened surveillance, and inadequate efforts to establish permanency. Findings underscore the need for child welfare agencies and policymakers to reduce the system’s reliance on congregate care and to expand affirming, family-based placements that promote safety, connection, and belonging for LGBTQ+ youth.