The Ali Forney Center in New York City, received a gift of $300,000 today, from the Estate of
legendary actress Bea Arthur.
The Ali Forney Center, the nation's largest organization dedicated to homeless
LGBT youth, announced at Bea Arthur's Memorial Service on September 14th that
they planned to purchase a building to house 12 youths and name it her honor.
"We work with hundreds of young people who are rejected by their families
because of who they are. We are overwhelmed with gratitude that Bea saw that
LGBT youth deserve as much love and support as any other young person, and that
she placed so much value in the work we do to protect them, and to help them
rebuild their lives." says Executive Director Carl Siciliano.
The Ali Forney Center offers emergency shelter and transitional housing in seven residential sites in NYC
and operates two drop-in centers offering food, clothing, medical and mental health treatment, HIV testing,
treatment and prevention services, and vocational and educational assistance. It provides
services to over 1000 young people each year.