LGBT youth shelter opens in Astoria

[Shana A]

 LGBT youth shelter opens in Astoria
by Willow Belden, Editor
12/03/2009

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20393051&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574903&rfi=6

   What do you do if your family beats you up or kicks you out for being gay?
   Thousands of young people in the city struggle with those scenarios, ultimately ending up on the streets. By some estimates, 30 to 40 percent of the city's homeless youth are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
   The resources available to them are stretched thin, but in the past few weeks several have found a temporary home in Astoria.
   The Ali Forney Center, which seeks to support homeless LGBT youth across the city, has opened a new shelter in St. Andrew's Church on 31st Avenue.