Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Cyndi Lauper Gives A Damn About Homeless Gay Youth

Singer Cyndi Lauper says her housing project for homeless gay youth was just the start in her struggle to help troubled kids.

In August, Lauper opened her True Colors Residence for LGBT homeless teens in Harlem. The 30-bed facility is the first to offer permanent housing to gay youth in New York City. Residents pay rent based on their ability to pay, and receive job placement help, if needed.

In an op-ed published at The Huffington Post, the 58-year-old Lauper said she was just getting started.

“Here in New York City, as is the case in most cities around the country, there are not enough resources to help these young people,” Lauper wrote. “On any given night, approximately 3,800 young people are living on the streets of the Big Apple, yet there are not even enough shelters and transitional living beds to house 10 percent of them. Most of those beds are funded by the city and operated by incredible organizations that are stretched to their limit, but they cannot do it alone.”

“My commitment to doing what I can is just beginning, and I want to encourage you to do what you can today to make a difference.”

Lauper added that her Give a Damn Campaign educates “straight people about this issue.”

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