Olivia’s Story

Health Care Access and Quality

Content warning: This section describes sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Call (800) 656-4673 or visit RAINN.org.

Family conflict is the primary cause of homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth.viii This conflict is often caused by a lack of family acceptance of a youth’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

For Olivia, the struggles of homelessness, depression, and substance use were deeply intertwined.

Without her ADHD medication—left behind when her parents kicked her out—Olivia found it difficult to concentrate at school. Withdrawal symptoms made it a struggle to get moving in the morning.

In families, open, honest communication is protective against substance use. But Olivia turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with her family rejection, homelessness, and assault. Her substance use disorder compounded her mental health challenges.

Olivia attended parties to stay connected with friends. She drank to dull the pain of rejection and loss, much like she had done whenever she felt ashamed about hiding her sexual orientation. At first, these parties seemed like an escape—a way to feel less alone.

But her situation grew darker. Six months into homelessness, Olivia stayed with a man she barely knew—a friend of a friend. This was the night she was sexually assaulted.

Olivia rushed out and stayed in her car that night. She told no one, and she felt alone. Olivia realized how vulnerable she was and felt like she could disappear.

Desperate to numb her pain, Olivia started drinking more heavily. At one party, she drank until she blacked out. Soon after, she met a dealer who sold her prescription pills. The first time she tried opioids, they offered a temporary escape.

Mixing them with alcohol became a routine to numb herself. She knew this was dangerous. But she couldn’t stop. She spent what little money she had to chase that next high.

The cycle continued until Olivia overdosed. She woke to a friend standing over her, a spent Narcan container in hand. Paramedics arrived shortly after to stabilize her.

“It sent a chill through me,” Olivia said. “If I didn’t get help, I knew I would die.”

A first responder connected Olivia with a social worker who became her lifeline to recovery.

She received round-the-clock care at a facility offering a 30-day residential treatment program. She received medication for addiction treatment and began addressing her ADHD, depression, and PTSD. Olivia attended individual and group therapy, addiction education classes, and regular drug tests to hold her accountable.

When Olivia completed treatment, her caseworker secured her a safe place to stay with her aunt, where she could continue intensive outpatient treatment—three hours of therapy, three days a week. She joined peer recovery support groups and found a therapist who specializes in sexual trauma and abandonment.

Today, Olivia is living in recovery.

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