Bea Arthur was a champion for the homeless LGBT youth of the Ali Forney Center. In 2005 she performed a one-woman show as a benefit, saying that she would do anything she could to help teens who were kicked out of their homes for being LGBT. In 2009, when Bea passed away, the Ali Forney Center learned that she had bequeathed $300K to them in her estate. At that time AFC Executive Director pledged that the first building AFC owned would be named in honor of Bea Arthur.
Now that dream is a reality. In 2012, the City of New York turned over a long-abandoned building to the Ali Forney Center, and with generous funding from the New York City Council, and the Manhattan Borough President, AFC, in partnership with the Cooper Square Committee, undertook a renovation to transform the building into the Bea Arthur Residence, an 18 bed long term housing facility for homeless LGBT youth.
The Bea Arthur Fund will help support the operational costs of the Bea Arthur Residence and assist AFC in acquiring additional sites to provide urgently needed housing. Currently, there are over 200 homeless LGBT youth on the waiting list for AFC's housing.
Bea Arthur said that she supported the Ali Forney Center because it saves lives. Please help continue Bea's legacy of love and support for homeless LGBT youth. Because everyone deserves to be loved, and everyone needs a home.
How You Can Help
AFC currently has 12 housing sites that are funded in part by city, state, and federal agencies, however, these agencies do not cover 100% of the costs associated with operating our housing programs, as a result, AFC's relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations to help us cover the unmet costs.