This blog post provides resettlement providers with practical strategies for recruiting and retaining foster homes that can support LGBTQ+ Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs). Building on our earlier guidance for teen foster home recruitment, it outlines six key approaches to identify, prepare, and support foster parents who can create affirming environments for LGBTQ+ youth. The post offers concrete steps for organizations to assess their readiness, build community partnerships, and provide ongoing support to ensure successful placements.
Building supportive environments for LGBTQ+ Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs) requires a thoughtful, multi-layered approach. These youth navigate complex, intersecting identities as refugees, LGBTQ+ individuals, and often members of diverse cultural and religious communities. For instance, a URM processing the trauma of displacement while coming out in a new cultural context and facing religious intolerance needs specialized support from their foster team.
While many challenges in recruiting foster parents for teens apply broadly, success with this unique group depends on identifying foster parents who can provide both cultural understanding and LGBTQ+ affirmation. These parents play a critical role in creating environments where youth feel safe, accepted, and supported in their identity development. Key strategies include assessing organizational readiness, building inclusive systems, fostering community partnerships, providing specialized training for foster parents, and maintaining long-term support for foster homes. By addressing these areas, organizations can better meet the unique needs of LGBTQ+ URMs and help them thrive.
From Challenges to Affirmation: Turning Barriers into Belonging
1. Start with Reflection and Knowledge Checks
Inclusivity begins with acknowledging and recognizing the value of LGBTQ+ communities and ensuring all URM supports understand key identity terms and contexts. Before recruiting, reflect on your organizational and individual readiness to support LGBTQ+ youth by focusing on these foundational areas:
- Balance personal values by centering URMs and their SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression). Use resources like The Trevor Project’s Allyship Guide to deepen knowledge and promote inclusive practices.
- Review and update your organization’s policies and practices through an inclusive lens, using a variety of tools including the Corporate Equality Index, and LGBTQ+ Refugee Resettlement Guidelines to evaluate everything from non-discrimination policies to service delivery.
- Foster safe spaces by sharing pronouns, using inclusive language, and reviewing systems with tools like Keshet’s Guide.
2. Establish Inclusive Systems and Infrastructure
Ensure your organization’s systems—from recruitment to ongoing support—reflect a commitment to inclusivity. Consider the following:
Establish Core Systems
- Align all processes and training with ORR Equity Policies and use resources like this Sample LGBTQ Affirming Homestudy Guide.
- Ask and assess foster parents’ openness to welcoming LGBTQ+ URMs; update foster care applications and policies to assess preparedness for providing affirming care.
- Create anonymous feedback channels for reporting discrimination concerns.
- Develop clear protocols for reviewing and updating these systems regularly.
Put Inclusive Practices into Action
- Use consistent inclusive language across all materials (e.g., “partner” instead of “husband/wife”).
- Include diverse LGBTQ+ imagery in recruitment and program materials.
- Create welcoming physical spaces that signal safety and acceptance.
- Share pronouns in all communications and welcome others to do the same.
Monitor and Adjust
- Regularly review and update systems based on feedback.
- Remember that LGBTQ+ foster parents can welcome any child—not only LGBTQ+ youth.
- Maintain focus on safety and affirmation for all placements.
- Document and address any concerns or incidents promptly.
3. Build Trust with Affirming Communities
Once your internal systems are aligned, it’s time to engage with affirming external communities including faith-based, PFLAG groups, businesses, LGBTQ+ Centers, Chambers of Commerce, and more.
- Show Up Authentically: Partner with LGBTQ+ organizations and attend community events regularly. Build genuine relationships by listening to community feedback about foster care systems, acknowledging historical harms and showing commitment through consistent presence and meaningful follow-through. One-time appearances aren’t enough to build trust.
- Build Relationships: Listen, collaborate, and maintain consistency in your efforts. Gather and apply feedback to improve your processes. Prioritize these relationships and remain consistent—trust can be easily undone if efforts are not maintained.
- Start Small: Focus on one or two partnerships to avoid overcommitment and ensure relationships are nurtured.
- Reassess and Apply: Reflect on and track lessons learned and changes implemented. Ideally, this can be built into existing recruitment and retention documentation plans or policies. Openly communicate actions and be ready to share tangible proof of efforts and progress when asked (e.g., at quarterly staff and foster parent LGBTQ+ trainings, consider using local affirming groups to conduct trainings and offer content reviews.)
4. Invest in Targeted Training Support
Equip foster homes with knowledge and tools to create affirming environments for LGBTQ+ URMs. Many misconceptions about LGBTQ+ identities stem from lack of exposure and understanding—like viewing it as “just a phase” or something that needs to be “cured.” Regular training helps foster parents move beyond these harmful myths to provide truly supportive care.
- Know Your Audience: Adapting training to the needs and acceptable levels of each family is key, as environments that fail to model support can unintentionally exacerbate trauma and isolation. Use visual aids such as SOGIE visuals and inclusive coloring books or other resources when working with multilingual or newcomer foster families. Partner with trusted community leaders to co-create and facilitate culturally sensitive training.
- Provide Education: Offer a variety of LGBTQ+ trainings and resources that help families understand the diverse acceptance levels in countries and increased risks of sexual violence, trauma, and suicidality. Additionally, include LGBTQ+ intersectionality trainings and resources for topics that will equip homes to welcome youth, including pronouns, race, culture, trauma, mental health, substance use, gender-based violence, and human trafficking. Remember to include all members of the household including children in learning.
- Be Clear that Affirmation is Life Saving: Tell foster parents what the research shows: when LGBTQ+ individuals are affirmed by the first person they come out to, it significantly reduces their risk of suicide and other negative mental health outcomes.
5. Apply Inclusive Recruitment Strategies
Use insights from your reflections, knowledge checks, and community outreach to gauge inclusive recruitment practices. If you encounter resistance, be honest and transparent about your organization’s current position and what can be realistically implemented on the ground level. For actionable guidance on inclusive recruitment, preparation and support for foster parents, explore this resource from the Human Rights Campaign, Inclusive Parent Preparation and Support.
Recruitment Event Ideas to Promote Connection Between Current Foster Parents, URMs, and the Community:
- Rainbow Family Storytime: Affirming foster parents, local authors, or volunteers from LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations read stories centered on LGBTQ+ themes or characters. Consider including a craft or activity, like creating pride flags or bookmarks
- Inclusive Book Club: Start a book club with licensed foster parents, open to the community and volunteers, allowing potential foster parents to interact, ask questions, and be inspired to foster
- Queer-Themed Painting Event: A painting event at a local studio or gallery, with optional orientation or Q&A
- LGBTQ+ Documentary Screening: Show LGBTQ+ and refugee-focused films to educate and inspire the community
- Rainbow Knitting Club: A creative space for the community to knit LGBTQ+ themed projects, connect, and learn more about fostering
- Showcase LGBTQ+ Youth Talents: Display artwork created by LGBTQ+ URMs in local coffee shops and bookstores to highlight their talents and raise awareness about the need for affirming foster homes
- Affirming Foster Parent Ambassadors: Create promotional materials or give aways for current foster parents with messages like “I’m an Affirming Foster Parent – Ask Me About My Journey,” allowing them to serve as ambassadors to encourage others to join the foster care community
Orientation and Training Interactive Initiatives
- LGBTQ+ Trivia in Foster Parent Training: Make foster parent training more engaging by incorporating a section on LGBTQ+ trivia to spark interest and provide important educational moments
- Offer “Ask Me Anything” Office Hours: Host more private spaces for interested and current foster parents to ask questions and continue learning
6. Retain Homes Through Ongoing Support
Retaining foster homes is crucial, as losing affirming families due to insufficient support leaves LGBTQ+ youth without safe placements. Additionally, failing to prioritize inclusivity throughout licensing and service delivery undermines recruitment efforts and perpetuates historical harms experienced by LGBTQ+ communities.
- Youth Disclosure and Support: Youth may not feel comfortable coming out immediately—or ever. Supportive foster homes should create affirming environments from day one, regardless of whether youth disclose their LGBTQ+ identity. To support foster parents, provide them with resources and guidance for fostering inclusivity, and ensure they know how to connect with case managers when additional support is needed. This might include exploring mentoring opportunities or evaluating if alternative placements would better serve a youth’s needs.
- Celebrate Growth: Recognize both foster parent and youth achievements that demonstrate growing understanding and connection. This might include a foster parent’s first LGBTQ+ cultural competency training completion, youth academic or personal achievements, or moments of bonding. Celebrating these milestones reinforces foster parents’ commitment and growth in their role.
- Strengthen Connections: Connect foster homes and youth with LGBTQ+ organizations and advocacy groups with whom you’ve built trust (e.g., pride centers), creating opportunities for community integration and a sense of belonging. Remember to follow up on how this connection went.
- Offer Continuous Learning and Exposure: Offer continuous and refresher trainings and encourage participation in events beyond Pride Month. Promote affirming resources—books, films, podcasts—to foster an ongoing culture of learning.
Inclusive Recruitment and Retention
By reflecting internally, creating inclusive systems, building trust with communities, and providing ongoing support, organizations can ensure LGBTQ+-responsive programming, recruitment and retention practices, and URMs are welcomed into homes that embrace their identities and offer the acceptance they deserve. Change is not immediate, but intentional work leads to meaningful progress.
Pro Tip
“Inclusive homes don’t happen by chance—they are intentionally built through continuous training, open conversations, and access to resources that support caregivers in meeting LGBTQ+ youth needs.” – Child Welfare Information Gateway
This work is not always easy, but it is necessary for creating safe, affirming spaces. If you’re feeling uncertain or need guidance in moving forward, don’t hesitate to reach out for further discussion and support. Submit a TA request or join Switchboard’s URM CoP to connect with other providers.
Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact and ensure that all youth, regardless of their identity, are embraced for who they truly are.
