The Ali Forney Center (AFC) in New York City, is the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. Many often face homophobic violence and harassment in the youth shelter system and turn to the streets of NYC instead. The Ali Forney Center offers LGBT youth, ages 16-24, emergency and transitional housing and support so that these young adults can escape a life on the streets and begin to live healthy and independent lives. AFC offers an innovative range of services that provide a nurturing, caring and supportive environment. These services include the AFC Day Center, which offers street outreach, referral to the housing programs, case management, primary medical care, HIV testing, mental health assessment and treatment, food, showers, and an employment assistance program. AFC also provides scattered-site emergency and longer-term housing with locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In addition, AFC offers a family outreach program which works to support and strengthen families by offering counseling, education and outreach services. AFC is named in honor of Ali Forney, a gender nonconforming youth who was homeless on the streets of NYC from the age of 13 until his death at 22. Despite his own situation, Ali was dedicated to the safety and welfare of other homeless youth and was a committed HIV prevention peer educator. In 1997 Ali was murdered on the streets of Harlem, but his killer was never found. Ali was an inspiration to all those who knew him and continues to inspire the work of the center today.
