LA Family Housing honors rapper Ice Cube for bringing attention to homelessness

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11) - Ice Cube seemed clearly moved as he accepted the Inspiration Award from LA Family Housing. He's gone from controversial rapper to Hollywood royalty to being a voice for homeless families.

LA Family Housing is a non-profit "helps people transition out of homelessness and poverty by providing a continuum of housing enriched with supportive services."

The entertainer was dressed to impress at the West Hollywood benefit. With celebs like Gilles Marini on hand, LA Family Housing was able to raise $1.2 million. The organization's CEO Stephanie Klasky-Gamer said "the ultimate goal is to move everyone into permanent housing."

An unusually windy night may have moved the event from a rooftop to a covered garage, but it didn't damper the spirits. Ice Cube thanked Warner Brothers for inviting him and said he wished he was the one handing out awards of inspiration.

One woman talked about living in a garage with her entire family. She described how on cold nights, they slept wearing winter coats. Ice Cube called for sensitivity toward the homeless.

"You never know, you might be meeting God," he said.

Reflecting on his own career he said, "you can't judge a book by it's cover."

Ice Cube, O'Shea Jackson Sr., gained his fame in the controversial rap group NWA, now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He's gearing up for the launch of this summer's Big Three, his professional 3-on-3 basketball league coming to Fox Sports One, FS1.

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