The Ali Forney Center

Tatte was born in Boston. You’ll also find us throughout the Washington D.C. metro area. And just a few weeks ago, we opened the doors of our first café in Northern New Jersey. No matter where we are, we are delighted to raise funds and awareness in celebration of Pride Month in the communities we call home.

Every June for many years now, our bakers have made Pride Cake, a rainbow of almond frangipane layers with Valrhona dark chocolate. Proceeds from the sale of our Pride Cake go to SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) in the D.C. area, which supports and empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth in and around Washington, D.C. In Boston, our community partner during Pride Month is BAGLY, the Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth.

The Ali Forney Center

Our newest community partner is The Ali Forney Center in New York City. Every year, The Ali Forney Center in Midtown Manhattan provides outreach, housing, meals and life-saving services to over 2,200 LGBTQ+ youth. Studies have found that LGBTQ+ youth comprise up to 40% of the homeless youth population in New York City. ALC notes that their clients come from all walks of life, most having been kicked out of their homes because of their LGBTQ+ identity.

AFC’s drop-in center, the first in the United States to offer 24/7 services for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, connects them with housing, warm meals, clean clothes and life-saving medical and mental health services. The space also hosts support groups, group therapy, workshops and recreational activities. Clients can also have recurring mental health counseling and continued medical care at the center, as well as check in with their case manager. It’s easy to see why The Ali Forney Center sees its drop-in center as a beacon for youth who are in need of support.

A Place to Find Stability. And Support.

The center is where clients can also get connected with emergency housing in an atmosphere that is supportive and encouraging. After a few months, many residents move to ALC’s Transitional Housing Program, where, with the support and guidance of case managers, residents create in-depth two-year plans that chart their path to independence via finishing high school or passing its equivalency exam, enrolling in college and/or gaining job skills.

In 2015, AFC opened its first transgender housing program with a focus on the specific concrete and emotional needs of clients and connecting them with the resources to help them become secure, independent adults.

Someone Who Cares and Will Be There

Transitional housing residents are also mentored by working professionals who help guide them through this time in their life and ideally, in the chapters that follow. AFC compares this relationship to a surrogate family—crucial, as so many youth in the program do not have biological family members they can rely on.

Set Up for Success

To help the youth they serve gain the skills and experience to land a good job and thrive in the workplace, AFC offers a multidimensional vocational and educational preparation program called LEAP. It’s open to LGBTQ+ youth ages 16-24 years old who are experiencing or are at risk for experiencing homelessness.

Those in need of a high school equivalency diploma take a course to prepare them for the exam. All participants enroll in a curriculum that focuses on building skills for success. Graduates receive paid internships at one of the program’s corporate or non-profit partners.

Who Was Ali Forney?

Founded in 2002, The Ali Forney Center is named in honor of a gender-nonconforming youth who was forced to live on the streets of New York City at age 13 and murdered at 22 in 1997. According to ALC’s website, Ali educated anyone they encountered about HIV prevention and safe sex, took pride in helping others like them, and was well known for advocating that the NYPD investigate a series of murders of other homeless queer youth they had befriended. Carl Siciliano, who later founded the organization that bears Ali’s name, said, “Ali showed that the lives of homeless LGBT youth had value, and did so in a time when few paid attention to these kids.”

Looking to the Future

The Ali Forney Center started with six cots in a church basement. By the end of its first day in operation, it had a waiting list of 20 which within weeks had grown to 100. Today, ALC reports that youth between the ages of 16 and 20 wait on average two weeks for emergency housing. Those who are 21 to 24 may wait as long as six months.

ALC’s greatest hope is to help every young person who arrives at the center. Carl said, “It’s disgraceful that any young person should be waiting out on the street for a bed. I want us to grow to meet the need to a place where we’re not turning kids away anymore.”

Celebrate Pride with a slice of our beloved Pride Cake—layers of almond frangipane and dark chocolate that support LGBTQ+ youth in the communities we call home. Available through June, with proceeds benefiting BAGLY, SMYAL, and the Ali Forney Center.