Cyndi Lauper - Cyndi Lauper Opening Homeless Shelter

Cyndi Lauper Opening Homeless Shelter

Cyndi Lauper's shelter for homeless lesbian and gay youths will open in New York on Friday (09.09.11).

The True Colors Residence - named after her 1986 hit single - will offer accommodation for gay, bisexual and transgender people aged 18 to 24 who have been forced onto the streets by their disapproving families, and has taken two years to build.

She said in a statement: "Kids are coming out in greater numbers as they see themselves accepted and represented on TV and in movies, but they're still being kicked out of their homes or running away and living on the streets. 

"We need to make sure we're taking care of them."

Cyndi will serve as an honorary chair of the board of directors at the True Colors Residence, and those living there will be responsible for paying affordable rent based on their incoming, and they will also be helped to find employment, in addition to emotional and educational support.

The home has been constructed in the Harlem district of New York.

The 58-year-old star has long been a supporter of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, saying: "It's always wrong to discriminate. I grew up in the civil rights movement. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now."