Essex-based LGBTQ+ charity says many are "reluctant to officially report" hate crimes
OutHouse operates across the county
An Essex-based LGBTQ+ charity that provides wellbeing support, counselling, and social groups, says that many are "reluctant to officially report" hate crime incidents.
They say that hearing about incidents is "devastating", and that hate crimes must be recorded, in order to better influence policies by organisations like the police.
Jen Skingsley, Head of Operations, Change, and Income Generation at the OutHouse, said:
"We're based in Colchester, but we cover the whole of Essex. We provide counselling, well-being support, and social groups for adults.
"We've got a whole range of youth groups across various locations: Clacton, Chelmsford, Braintree, Colchester, Harwich, Tendring, Witham, and Tiptree.
"It's increasingly a difficult space to be.
"If we have got people coming in that are perhaps a bit distressed or feeling isolated or lonely, then we can immediately get them in and point them towards people that are like them, or have been feeling the same way as them."
Jen said that the difficulty for the community is that many are "reluctant to officially report" hate crime incidents.
"We get a lot of anecdotes about incidents happening, but in terms of actually officially reporting, that doesn't happen as much. Which is a shame because I personally feel that the reporting is the really important bit.
"The really important thing is that if the data doesn't exist, then the incidents don't really exist. So I think if we can really reinforce with our community that if something happens, it's really important that the reporting happens.
"I would say that there is not necessarily an upwards trend in reporting, but there's definitely an upward trend in incidents happening. So that is quite devastating to see.
"If people aren't recording those crimes now, there won't be that support in the future."
More information about the charity is available on their website.