Halsey Says She Considered Sex Work as a Teen Experiencing Homelessness in New York City

At a Saturday benefit for youth homelessness, Halsey talked about her own experiences as a teenager who struggled to afford food and find a safe place to stay.

She was being honored at at Ending Youth Homelessness: A Benefit For My Friend’s Place in Hollywood, and in her speech, she revealed that she’d considered sex work in order to earn money for food:

“When I was living in New York, I was a teenager. My friends were picking out decorations for their dorms, and I was debating on whether or not I should let a stranger inside me so I could pay for my next meal.”

In 2016, Halsey told Rolling Stone that she was kicked out of her home after dropping out of community college, leaving her with no health insurance or phone and few options. At the benefit, she addressed some of stigma around homelessness:

“‘It wasn’t because I did something bad, it wasn’t because something was wrong with me, and it wasn’t because my parents didn’t love me, ‘cause they did, very much,’ she added, citing a “series of unfortunate circumstances” as the reason she ended up in her position.”

Halsey, who has discussed coming out as bisexual in the past, also addressed the fact that an estimated 40 percent of minors experiencing homelessness are members of the LGBTQ community:

“Many of them have been ostracized from their families and from their communities because of people who don’t agree with their lifestyle. This means that they have a harder time getting access to health care, to legal services, to education, to mental health services, which makes it all the more difficult for them.”