Help The Homeless Houston

That’s the question we are all asking, isn’t it? And when we consider that for our homeless men, women and children in Houston, we know that “2012 will be a year of significantly more needs to be met.”

Star of Hope has always been on the cutting edge of ministry to the homeless. Over the past 105 years of service there have been three distinct transitions in the homeless need:

1. Serving men-only for our first 80 years.
2. Serving women and families beginning in the mid-80‘s.
3. Now, the third transition…serving a growing percentage of our city’s AT RISK and ON THE BRINK of Homelessness population.

The face of homelessness has changed. For every person you see on the street corners asking for help or money, there are at least 10 others who are hidden…living in cars, on friends couches or in abandoned buildings, or about to lose their ability to maintain their ability to live and function independently.

2011 was a record year…with 25% more homeless people in Houston, and twice as many families homeless as there were just 2 years ago. Star of Hope stepped up, thanks to your amazing support, and served record numbers, all with open arms to anyone who came for help. Thank you for YOUR help…volunteering your time, bringing donations, giving financial gifts…and most importantly remembering us in your prayers.

One thing that you can always count on when you think of Star of Hope…this is a place where God Is At Work in the lives of our most needy individuals, and He does His Miracles here every day. It is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen! And all of us who work here do so with a reverent awe every day!

This new year, we are already focusing on how we can expand our job preparedness and job skills efforts for our clients. We are staying in touch with more of our graduates than ever before, to support them when they stumble or need a little extra help to stay on track. We are working in a more deliberate way than ever, to assist families and individuals who are ABOUT TO BE HOMELESS, by growing our day services and partnering more closely with other great organizations in Houston. And we are expanding our children’s and teen ministries to help prepare the children of our homeless families to live a different life…and break the cycle of poverty and homelessness in their generation.

Sound exciting? Then come join us and let’s make 2012 our best year ever of CHANGED LIVES in our great city!

Blessings to you and your family in the new year, and we look forward to working together with you in 2012.

Year-End is fast approaching, but it's not too late to help Houston's homeless men, women and children with Star of Hope. Three simple ways you can help in the next three days:

1. Invite your friends to "Like" Star of Hope Mission on Facebook
2. Start making plans to volunteer in 2012
3. Give a year-end gift today

You have helped restore almost 7,000 lives in Houston in 2011

As I am sitting here in my office, taking a deep breath and thinking back over this past year, I am amazed and humbled at all God has done in our community through the Star of Hope.

Record numbers of people have become homeless in Houston this past year, and as a result, Star of Hope has served more individuals than ever before in our 104 year history this year. Immediate needs met, safety, a place to sleep, clothes, showers, food, a note card of encouragement from a volunteer, a counselor and longer term programs to help begin putting life back together…all offered to each one in an environment filled with the love of Christ.



I am reminded about the young man in his 20’s who graduated from our Men’s Development Center this past summer, who had been left on the doorsteps of a hospital in his home town when he was only 6 weeks old because his mom didn’t want him. He had struggled with the sense that he didn’t belong or have a home his whole life. But here at Star of Hope he “came home” to Christ and found new purpose and his eternal identity in Him. Or the young 15 year old girl, who came to us with her family, two years behind in school because of all the moves the family had made the prior couple of years. Through our Stars of 2morrow Teen Ministry this young lady caught up in school and graduated from high school in the top 7.5% of her class this past spring. She is at the University of Texas this Christmas on a scholarship! And there are hundreds of other stories just like these, inspiring and life-changing, all because Houstonians like you CARE.



A month ago, the children of the Yellowstone Academy Middle School held a fundraiser for Star of Hope, and together raised $176.28 to give to children less fortunate than themselves here at the Star of Hope. These precious children, whose families’ average income is about $10,000 per year, came on a school bus and joyfully brought us their Christmas gift.

Yesterday, a young man named William rode a bus to downtown from a west Houston grocery store where he works as a sacker, then took a train from downtown to the Medical Center, then a cab to Star of Hope, to bring his $200 gift he had been saving up. He does not have a car, but wanted to bring his Christmas gift in person this year somehow, some way.

So I am humbled at how God uses it all…our gifts, our volunteer hours, our staff and facilities, and most of all, our prayers to change and restore lives from the depths of despair, to heartfelt joy once again.

From all of us to you, thanks for making this all possible! We look forward to serving our community, with you, in 2012.

Recently, you may have seen on our Facebook Fan Page a picture of Hank Rush, with a big old check from Yellowstone Academy 8th graders. They raised money, made a check and presented it to Mr. Rush, proudly. 

I find this story extremly moving for several reasons.  One being that many of Yellowstone Acadamy kids have lived at Star of Hope before or are currently living here. Another, staggering fact is that 87% of Yellowstone Acadmey kids are currently living in poverty or extreme poverty. In fact the average family income is $8,088.

The final number that strikes me is in total $178.98 was given to Star of Hope from Yellowstone Acadmey kids, which is about 2.2% total of a Yellowstone Academy's average family YEARLY income.

That makes me ask myself does at least 2% of my yearly income go to helping Houston's homeless? A group of 8th graders gave and about 95 people will be able to eat a hot meal in our soup kitchen this Christmas. 

Stories like these always remind me of this passage:

Christmas is my very favorite time of the year, and I often read the Christmas Story along with my family this time of year. As we read it, I have thought many times, as you may have, about that innkeeper who turned Joseph and Mary and the unborn Jesus away that Christmas evening. What was he thinking when he did such a seemingly uncaring deed? I’ve thought to myself and you may have too, “I’d never have let anyone, let alone God’s only Son, be born in the stable! I would have made room for them in my inn!”

It may not be practical for you and I to take someone into our homes each Christmas, but I hope you know that every time you give to Star of Hope, you are providing “room in the inn” for many in great need of a new start in life, and a new look at God’s roadmap for their lives. They find warmth, safety, and help with their personal needs, but most of all, they find His Love at the Star of Hope. As He said in Matthew 25:40, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.” (NIV).

This has been an extraordinary year of need in the Houston community…more families and individuals have experienced homelessness than in many years. And the Star of Hope has been called on to serve more people than ever before, in our 104 year history! But we need your help right now as recent donations have not kept up with the demands we are experiencing.

Help us make the “Star of Hope Inn” that warm and special place for those who have literally nowhere else to go…as Mary and Joseph experienced, this Christmas. Now just as then, it is our choice that can make all the difference in someone’s life and journey back to wholeness and hope. Please donate online now!

Blessings to you this Christmas!


If you missed it on the news, watch this video from ABC 13 - KTRK:

Star of Hope Asks for Your Help for Homeless

Through Star of Hope, Houston’s community, has many opportunities to give Hope to Houston’s homeless every day. Recently, “Little Couple” a show on TLC featuring Bill Klein and Jennifer Arnold took time to share their hope with several of Star of Hope’s families. Despite their small stature they have really big hearts --- with beautiful stories to share.

With successful careers, Bill as a businessman and Jen as a doctor, they have much wisdom in overcoming uncontrollable obstacles while having an excellent attitude towards life! They are an inspiration and it is an honor to have had them serve a Thanksgiving meal to Houston’s homeless! Thank you, Bill and Jen for having big hearts that give back to Houston's needy. 

We are looking forward to a very heartfelt episode!

Hey guys!  I found these two photos of Thanksgiving lunch at the Star of Hope. 


The first pic is from many years ago and the second is more current!  The parallels touched my heart in that, while years have passed, there are still the less fortunate in our city, who really need our help.  Every day, Star of Hope helps over 1,000 persons, about 1/3 are children.  The more I work in this homeless Christian Ministry in Houston, the more I am concerned for the children, the next generation.  Last night the Star of Hope Women and Family Emergency Shelter on Dowling  had 63 persons sleep on a pallet on the floor because the 74  rooms were filled!  Please pray for these persons, that they will find their way in our world!  If you can help, you can donate today.  Also, you can find out how you can volunteer, and learn more about homelessness in our city! 

Thanks for your prayers.  They become the catalyst for life change!  God bless.

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I’m counting my blessings — and I want you to know you are a big part of my gratitude! This has been such an exciting year of service at the Star of Hope, as record numbers of individuals and families have come for help.

You have shown the true spirit of our Lord and of the compassion of our city. It has truly made a difference for thousands… because of your help, your volunteer time, your food and clothing drives, your cards and letters, meals served for our Clients, and most importantly your prayers.

Every day at the Star of Hope God changes lives. It is amazing to watch and is such a humbling place to serve. We feel a profound sense of gratefulness to God, and are constantly amazed at His incredible power to heal a broken heart, forgive a broken past, and bring new Life and Hope alive in a life once again.

Right now, we are caring for almost 1,100 men, women and children in urgent need of basic necessities and long-term, life changing solutions to their problems. And in this incredibly busy Thanksgiving, we’ll all be counting you as one of our blessings, and praying for God’s rich blessings for you and your family. Thank you for partnering with us this holiday season at the Star of Hope!

There are only a few weeks now until Thanksgiving and whatever plans we are making, they most certainly will include a gathering event focused on food! Fortunately for most of us, we’ve never really had to wonder where our next meal, or our Thanksgiving meal, was coming from.

Recently, a mother and her three teenage children staying at our Women and Family Emergency Shelter expressed deep gratitude for the meals provided by our generous supporters. She was moved to tears when talking about the compassionate care they were receiving at our Shelter.

She told us that before coming to Star of Hope, they were literally starving. One night, her three children shared one can of tuna fish, while she had to go without food. They decided to come for help, and she was so grateful to have good food for her kids and herself!

This Thanksgiving…when you pray the Lord’s Prayer and ask God to give you your daily bread, why not also include a prayer for families who you are helping feed during this holiday season? You can make a tremendous difference in the lives of families like this mom and her three teens, by giving what you can to provide meals to them.

Every year at this time, we are amazed and humbled to see how God uses so many of us in our community to come together to feed and care for our neighbors in need. Join us now, by making a gift and include them in your hearts and prayers during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Blessings to you and yours this Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a time we all count our blessings, and I want you to know that hundreds of Star of Hope’s residents and graduates are thanking God for you!

In our special Thanksgiving edition of The Light, we’ve included some heartfelt thank-yous from three ladies whose lives were completely transformed by the food, shelter, spiritual support and long-term care you help provide . . . like Michelle.

Michelle arrived at Star of Hope in deep grief after the loss of her mother. For a while, she’d tried to “medicate” that grief with addiction, but she knew that could only lead to more heartbreak, so she humbly asked for help at our Women & Family Emergency Shelter downtown.

With homelessness on the rise among Houston families, we didn’t have a room for her right away, but Michelle was grateful just to sleep on a clean “overflow” mat for a few days. She knew it was the first step to stability. You won’t want to miss her inspiring words about her journey . . . or the other stories and photos of lives you’ve changed.

Thank you for being part of stories like Michelle’s through your ongoing support and prayers. These are difficult days for many in our city, and your help really matters!

Recently, a 3 year old named Evan, found out many kids didn't have toys of their own.  He immediately began finding the ones he wanted to share with his friends at Star of Hope.  When Evan and his mom, Sheldon dropped the toys off he was eager to demonstrate how his friends could play with them and gave them away with a smile.

It was interesting to compare Evan to myself.  For instance, I know there are people who are going to be cold this winter and I know I have 5 coats. Reluctantly, I pack 2 coats to give away.  Even as I drive to the donation center I decide I can't live without the red coat I previously packed. I take it out of the bag and keep it.

I, irrationally, imagine my life without another accessory, rather than their life without a necessity. Am I really this selfish?

The answer is yes, which is why Evan's story speaks to me so well. Evan heard there were kids in need and happily gave. A great lesson of sharing taught by a 3 year old.

In all of our lives, there have been times when we have felt like no one cares about us. We can all remember changing schools and not knowing anyone, and feeling daunted as we were surrounded by strangers. Or changing jobs, and wondering how we would fit in and who would be our friends. Or enduring a difficult family situation that left us alone.

For those who come to Star of Hope, the feeling that no one cares about them is not just focused on a new workplace or school, however. For most, there is absolutely no one they can turn to for help. Most who come to Star of Hope facilities have absolutely no other option. They are truly alone.

So what do you think JOB ONE is at Star of Hope? It is to love and to care for each one who enters, no matter what their condition or need or situation. And that love, combined with a safe place, good food, clean beds and new clothing, helps them feel like someone DOES care!

I’d like to share a short story from one of our recent adult clients at Star of Hope. Her name is Cassandra, and she found here a caring atmosphere that put her on the path to a new life!

Cassandra said recently, “I came to Star of Hope because I was on my last leg and I needed help, but I had no idea the help that I was going to get. They are awesome. There’s so much that’s here for you, and all you have to do is apply yourself a little and ask. The people really, really care. I love it. I feel God’s presence throughout the shelter and throughout me. To the donors, I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

Your continuing support is a vital as we provide meals, shelter, counseling, education and long-term solutions to more Houstonians than ever before. They come because they have no other options…but you provide, through your gifts and volunteer help, a new and wonderful second chance…and a way back into a fulfilling life once again.

Thank you for being one of the people who “really, really cares”, as we minister and serve daily here at Star of Hope!

When you think about the homeless, do you see tragedy? We see the pain of homelessness every day, as men, women and families pour into our centers for help. However the picture looks different when you see it from our vantage. You see, our focus is not on tragedy but trajectory. Ours is an upward view with a goal to launch those who come to us to levels of achievement that will ensure their opportunity for successful living.

I had a chance to revel in that truth recently, when I met with a woman named Christine. About ten years ago, Christine arrived at Star of Hope Transitional Living Center for homeless women and families. She was young, attractive, and intelligent, though barely a semblance of functionality. The years of partying and addiction that had been so exciting had become an excess she could no longer afford physically, emotionally, financially or spiritually.

To see Christine now is like looking at the winner of the Most Likely to Succeed award. It’s hard to believe that she had ever met, let alone been, the person of a decade ago. This accomplished Real Estate Agent has maintained her sobriety, stability and upward call, ever since leaving Star of Hope. What’s more, her mother and brother, both of whom suffered with alcohol addictions, are living sober lives, having seen the victory over substance abuse that Christine experienced.

Christine will tell anyone that her change is the direct result of being enrolled in the TLC program and finding a God-centered life, just as the Apostle Paul described in Romans 12:2, when he said, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Volgistics.  No, it is not an alien species that inhabits some far away galaxy in the latest chapter of Star Trek. It is the awesome new database Star of Hope is using to manage our volunteer program. Volgistics means the Volunteer Services team can better serve our volunteers, programs and clients.

 

All volunteers are now required to register online prior to their scheduled project date. When volunteers arrive for their project, the sign-in process will be faster and volunteers will spend less time in the reception area. Within a few months, touch screen kiosks will also be available for High Impact Volunteers to log in and out.

 

Moving forward, Volgistics will exponentially increase our capacity for information management. Everyone on the Volunteer Services team now shares the same information. If one team member is unavailable, another team member will still be able to help.

 

We receive many calls from volunteers requesting service hours for college applications, resumes and financial records. Once registered in Volgistics, volunteers are able to access the Star of Hope Volunteer Center from any computer to review their contact information and service log. Even if volunteers served as part of a group, hours will be recorded for each individual group member.

 

The bottom line - advanced volunteer registration allows us to better identify every person working in our facilities and provide a more secure environment for all of our clients.  

 

Volgistics has amazing capabilities…the changes are exciting and we are only beginning! But electronic data management will never replace the importance of building strong relationships with all of our volunteer partners. We are grateful for the unique gifts, talents, abilities, interests and compassion of each volunteer and continue to be awed by the way God knits us all together to meet the needs of Houston’s homeless men, women and children.

Volunteer and help Houston's homeless with Star of Hope Mission.
Visit Volunteer Opportunities Houston.

Your support has given Terrick a safe bed, all the healthy food he needs, classes to help his mom learn to become a better parent, tutoring, Bible studies — and Star of Hope staff who show him love every single day.

One day Terrick raised his hand during his children’s Bible study... and you just won’t believe what came out of his mouth. Be sure to watch his video to find out, you’ll be glad you did! You’ll be reminded, as I am, what really matters in this life!



Your support is providing hundreds of opportunities and brighter futures for families and children in need every day. So today, when you see a child, think of the 250+ here at Star of Hope, make an online gift, and know that God will take your gift and use it to touch a life of one of these! THANK YOU for all you do for Houston’s homeless men, women and children... won’t you help a child today?

I just left the Houston Online Marketing Summit with lots of information on how the Star of Hope web team can continue to build and utilize the social media world to get our message out to the city of Houston and beyond. The conference, which is comprised of multiple sessions on various social media topics such as SEO and Performance Metrics offers sessions by online marketing leaders for very large international brands. These sessions are of course focused on best practices for business. Several times during the different sessions I attended I heard “remember, it’s all about the sale” and “it’s not about relationships, it’s about marketing”.

For the Star of Hope this is absolutely not true, yes, we do have a message to get across and yes we do need financial support to execute our mission but ultimately, it’s about the people in our community that do not have anywhere to lay their heads tonight, it’s about people who need compassion from their neighbors and it's about sharing Christ with someone you may not know by reaching out a hand.

Our online strategy will be centered on the stories of the countless people that come to our mission for refuge and rebuilding and how your support makes it happen. More importantly, If we can inspire anyone on Facebook or Twitter (and beyond ) to engage in acts of volunteerism , giving , loving and praying for the person without a home in their communities across the globe then we have utilized these wonderful tools for the ultimate good.

Discover ways to give and help Houston's homeless with Star of Hope.
Visit Donating to Charitable Organizations Houston.

September is a month of celebration! Recovery from addiction is possible! At Star of Hope we have testimony after testimony that shows prevention, treatment, and support WORKS! Take a look at Fredrick's story of hope and celebrate RECOVERY with us!

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that every day now, we are confronted with a new, major crisis in our world. Here at home in Houston, we have all dealt with the excruciating heat and lack of rain for four or five months now. Texas wildfires are all around us, forcing hundreds from their homes and destroying their property.

For thousands in Houston, the severe weather and drought along with economic or domestic crises, have driven them to homelessness this year. Star of Hope has been here….serving already this year over 1,000 MORE men, women & children who have become homeless than we did last year.

Sometimes life’s greatest blessings rise out of tears, and for many we have served this year, God’s blessings have poured down in their lives, even though the rains for Houston have not. When we go through a period of great loss, we all tend to stop in our tracks, paralyzed and unable to move. Many of us LOOK UP in such times, to seek God’s face once again. True life change happens when we confront our past head on, confess our sins, and seek God’s help and guidance once again in our lives.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 tells us clearly God’s requirements for blessings: Humility, Prayer, Devotion, and yes, Repentance. I believe with all my heart that the miraculous life change we see every day at Star of Hope comes from true humility and repentance before the Living God, who is still in the forgiving and healing business, thankfully!

Roberto’s story is a wonderful example of this:




We invite you to Save the Date: February 2, 2012, for the 2012 Star of Hope Banquet – Above All. Plan to come and celebrate with us what God is doing in lives that were parched and dry, and have found His Blessings once again. Join us for one of the greatest Christian celebrations held in Houston each year, as we celebrate God’s great Work in the lives of so many in our city!