LGBT youth facility destroyed by hurricane

The severe storm that hit New York City and other parts of the US east coast has destroyed a renowned institution for homeless LGBT youth.

The Ali Forney Center in West Chelsea, Manhattan was devastated after four feet of water flooded into the facility when the storm hit Monday, executive director Carl Siciliano told the Washington Blade.

“Everything is destroyed — all of the electricity in the place, the floors, the computers, the laptops, the phones, files, all the furniture,” Siciliano said.

“Everything is just destroyed. The refrigerator was floating and knocked over, all the food was out. The space is uninhabitable.”

Siciliano told The Advocate that a new drop-in centre space is under renovation in Harlem. It will likely be ready in a few months.

“The kids that come into that space are like our most vulnerable kids. They’re the ones who are out on the streets with nowhere to go. And that program’s really a lifeline for them,” he said.

“They get food and clothing and showers and bathroom facilities, medical care [and] HIV testing. It’s kind of our triage place in the city for kids who are chucked out on the streets.”

Siciliano appealed to the US federal, state, and local governments for assistance, and the Ali Forney Center is accepting donations on its website.

He said the damage by Hurricane Sandy is “a short-term disaster for us, but we are going to be all right in the long run”.

The new Harlem centre will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while the Chelsea location was available only 10am-6pm, Monday to Friday.