A center that helps homeless New York City youth who are gay and transgender got hit hard by superstorm Hurricane Sandy last week, and now many who belong to the center have nowhere to go.
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The Ali Forney Center was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy and they need our help to get the center up and running once again.
As reported by ABC News:
“This is a disaster in a disaster,” said Executive Director Carl Siciliano. “These kids face disaster every day … They are sleeping on rooftops, abandoned buildings and lots ride trains at night. It’s been really rough with the subway shutting down.”
The center, founded in 2002, was named for Ali Forney, a gay 22-year-old who was murdered by a shot in the head in 1997. He had been homeless since the age of 13, thrown out by his mother, and beaten up in foster care and group homes for his feminine behavior.
Resources for homeless LGBT youth are scarce and shelters are at capacity, especially in New York City where a study commissioned by the City Council estimated 3,800 youth are homeless, about 1,600 of them lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
As for the center, four feet of water flooded the 1,000-square foot facility on West 22nd Street, a half a block from the Hudson River in the city’s mandatory evacuation zone, destroying computers, phones and medical equipment.
Everyday about 150 kids a night arrive at the drop-in center looking for a bed, but AFC is only able to house 77, and the city only has 200 shelter beds designated for youth.
The AFC believes that it will have to raise at least $400,000 to replace what was lost in superstorm Sandy. A fundraiser will be held Sunday with celebrity hosts, actress Ally Sheedy and photographer Mike Ruiz. If you would like to donate to AFC’s relief efforts, click here.
SOURCE: ABC News
