After a short break and a focus on grad school finals, the God and Mammon series continues. Welcome back.

Coming out in a religious family or in a conservative church community can be much more difficult than simply taking the standard “going to hell” lecture. At any age, it’s a rough move in an atmosphere where the queer lifestyle is considered “sinful,” but for young people it can also mean the early onset of complete financial responsibility.

A 2006 study, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth, An Epidemic of Homelessness” by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and the National Coalition for the Homeless quotes the U.S. government estimate of homeless and runaway youth to be as high as 1.6 million a year. According to the study, between 20 and 40 percent of these identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. “Given that between 3 and 5 percent of the U.S. population identifies as lesbian, gay or bisexual, it is clear that LGBT youth experience homelessness at a disproportionate rate,” the report’s author, Nicholas Ray, writes.

The report goes on to document a study in which 26% of queer teens report being kicked out of the house upon coming out to their families. This doesn’t always indicate an organized religious presence in the household, but the moral issue is often, if not usually, at play. One-third surveyed in an additional report say they were the victims of a physical assault at the time of their coming out. Homelessness and violence combined with easy access to the temporary relief of mind-altering substances does little to support a healthy lifestyle, not to mention the sort of climate that stimulates job hunting and planning for one’s future.

The study also posits (with notable but rather loose reasoning) that George Bush’s executive order (one in a string of severely questionable) to grant federal funding to faith-based organizations for social service provisions was one that could systematically exclude LGBT homeless youth from available services. That’s definitely a disconcerting factor considering the link in the causes of youth homelessness.

The author cites an internal Salvation Army document that the Washington Post got its mitts on in 2001. The document says, “…the White House had made a ‘firm commitment’ to issue a regulation protecting religious charities from state and city efforts to prevent discrimination against gays in hiring and providing benefits.” Ray goes on to question how such verbiage could possibly ensure that a charity does not discriminate in its servicing: “If an otherwise qualified employee can be fired simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, what guarantee is there that clients, including LGBT homeless youth, will be supported and treated fairly?”

There isn’t. But, to highlight some positive religious activity in the world of young and homeless LGBT people, a story I try to check up on periodically is that of Carman’s Place. Run by an unpaid, full-time Chaplain, Father Braxton, Carman’s Place is a shelter in New York City servicing predominately transgender, but also gay and lesbian at-risk youth. I first read about the shelter early last year in a New York Times article. I was impressed by what appears to be the truly religious motivations behind Father Braxton’s work: “Father Braxton strongly disapproves of the prostitution, but he says kicking residents out for peddling their bodies would only make things worse. So as they leave the shelter dressed in skimpy outfits, he reminds them that the shelter door is locked from 2 a.m. until sunrise and leaves them with his standard parting wish: ‘I hope you get arrested.’”

When I came out right after high school and was received with the “you’ll never see another cent” manifesto, things were not so grim. Yes, it was emotionally unsettling, but I had received an athletic scholarship and would have a bit of a grace period for figuring out how to be financially self-sustaining. I definitely felt the pressure earlier than many of my peers to look for a job with full benefits and a good retirement plan. The few others I have known in similar situations over the years have seemed to stream into one of two or three main modes of operation.

Many take on heavy credit card debt. Being dumped directly into one’s own unskilled devices after having been supported as a young person can be completely overwhelming. To the naïve eye and those untrained in dealing with a budget or finances, the credit trap appears to be an easy out. Others delve into work as though it were some alternative form of redemption. I took on as many as three jobs at a time right after college, thinking I could at least work my way into being a good person. Many take years to reconcile early indoctrination with lifestyle, sometimes turning to habits (of the chemical or material variety) to dull the resulting uneasiness, and these are usually always serious additional blows to financial well-being.

I’ve fortunately never been homeless, so I can’t offer too much advice on how to get out of a situation like that. But, I can offer a few tips from the experience I did have:

1) Survival feels quite urgent, but try not to compromise your health or mental well-being in an attempt to get something you need.

2) Look for a financial mentor. This could be a boss or someone you trust. Ask them about basic steps they’d suggest taking to get on track.

3) Read Queercents.

4) Talk to gays.

5) Start developing your skills. Make time to do things you love. Take free classes, hack into computers, write. Whatever it is, doing it will career build.

Anyone else have any suggestions?