Homeless Shelter for LGBT Named for Bea Arthur Breaks Ground

Although it has been more than six years since Maude and Golden Girls actress Bea Arthur died, her presence as a passionate LGBT ally can still be felt in the present day.

Ground was broken Monday in New York City's East Village for what is going to be an 18-bed homeless shelter for LGBT youth and, as DNAinfo reports, the $3 million undertaking will be named after none other than gay icon Arthur.

Arthur, who died in 2009, left $300,000 to the New York-based Ali Forney Center to aid in the creation of the shelter.

At the time of the donation, the Ali Forney Center's executive director, Carl Siciliano, expressed his deep gratitude for the late actress's generosity -- and he continues to do so today.

"I thank you for your compassionate heart and your noble spirit. I thank you for recognizing that LGBT youths are deserving of love, and speaking out for them. I thank you for your amazing generosity that got us through tough times," he wrote in a recent op-ed on The Huffington Post. "From the bottom of my heart, Bea, I thank you for being a friend."