Over 40 percent of homeless youth in NYC are LGBT.
There is a new shelter being built for them thanks to the late Golden Girls star, Bea Arthur. The 18-bed shelter will open next February.
In addition to providing beds, it will also provide on-site counseling and case management for these LGBT youth.
Bea Arthur gave the shelter $300,000 when she died in 2009. The construction has gotten behind since they are renovating an old building.
The entire $3.3 million has been funded by the city. The non-profit that is overseeing it is called the Ali Forney Center. They have chosen to thank Ms. Arthur by naming the shelter after her.
From the Ali Forney Center’s About page:
“Our mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.”
“Our organization’s namesake, Ali Forney, was a gender nonconforming teen who fled his home at 13. He entered the foster care system where he was bounced around to several homes and was beaten. Ali ended up living on the streets. Ali was dedicated to helping other young people and publicly advocated for the safety of homeless LGBT youth. Tragically, in December of 1997, Ali was murdered in Harlem — shot in the head and left for dead.”
Carl Siciliano, executive director of the Ali Forney Center, said:
“At the time it was the height of the recession and I don’t know how we would’ve survived without that great gift and that support. I’m so proud that we’re able to name [the new facility] in her honor.”
Allen Roskoff, a friend of Arthur’s, said:
“She loved the Ali Forney Center, she loved the work they were doing, and she loved the fact that LGBT youth had a place they could call home.”
These children deserve a great place to stay. Thanks for being a friend, Bea Arthur.
Here is a video about The Ali Forney Center:
https://youtu.be/D4L4BTP4vEw
Featured image by owlin aolin via Flickr, available under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
