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.”