Being a vibrant mission is not just about caring for the homeless in our city, it's about serving our friends who support our ministry. One of the ways we do this is by sharing the wonderful things that are happening in our shelters to encourage and prepare our clients for re-entering society, with obtainable goals for self-sufficiency.
As you read the blogs written by our staff and guest bloggers, your heart will be touched by the stories about life in the shelters and the experiences of the men, women and children living in them. You will find ways to connect that meet your charitable ideals and many opportunities to deepen your involvement with Star of Hope Mission.
If one has never been homeless you may not understand the important impact the Star of Hope Mission has in someone’s life. You may never experience the overwhelming panic, the knot that forms in the pit of your stomach or the physical pain caused by the fear of being homeless. You may not identify with the feeling of terror that one has when they have no idea where they will sleep that night, the fear of how to feed their children or concern about how to keep their children in school.
Many are blessed in life and never personally experience these terrorizing emotions. Others are blessed because Star of Hope was there to help them through this terrifying time in their life. My volunteer time has been spent in administrative support working for caring and dedicated staff. Each time I'm there, I see the lives of the many people whose lives have been altered. It may look like just a piece of paper that gets filed away, but each represents a life that has been touched and changed by the Star of Hope. The mission depend on volunteers to keep going. If you want to be involved with life changing moments in someone’s life and offer hope and confidence in the future, I encourage you to volunteer. You will gain more than any of the people you serve.
For many reasons people may find themselves in a temporary position in life in which a helping hand can make all the difference in the world. Star of Hope offers people a lifeline to a successful life when the world seems to be against them. They offer food, shelter, training and job placement . . . but most of all they offer hope and confidence in the future.
Deborah L. Stich
Star of Hope Volunteer
Our City ∙ Our Home ∙ Our Mission™
Volunteer Opportunities Houston
Star of Hope Mission
I knew for a long time that I have always wanted to do volunteer. It didn't matter the form of it, just knew it was in my heart. Two months ago, God placed in my heart to Google "shelter for the homeless in Houston." It's exactly what I did. The first shelter that popped up was Start Of Hope. I called and scheduled a day and time. Not only did God use me that day, but he used me by inviting 2 girlfriends that never have done volunteer work. I knew God smiled down on me that day, and ever since I never fail to invite some one to any event that gives glory to God!
Maria Carballo
Star of Hope Volunteer
Our City ∙ Our Home ∙ Our Mission™
Volunteer Opportunities Houston
Star of Hope Mission
I am currently a first year student in the Graduate College of Social Work at University of Houston. Initially I didn’t know what to expect coming to intern at Star of Hope's Transitional Living Center. All I really knew about Star of Hope was that it is a “homeless shelter”. Little did I know that it is so much more.
From the first day I entered the building, I could feel the welcoming spirit of the staff and residents. I expected to see a scene like portrayed on television with beds everywhere, a dirty or unkept building, unprofessional staff, and sack lunches with who knows what in them. That was my little view, but my eyes were widened and my spirits were lifted when I realized how different Star of Hope is from what I expected.
I have been allowed to do intake interviews with clients, I have taught some personal development classes and introduced topics such as self care, stress management and relaxation techniques. I have sat in on the New Hope Recovery Program, I interact and even have lunch with clients in the wonderful cafeteria where there are three hot meals served and not the sack lunches I thought there would be. I have gone to the chapel service and witnessed women graduate from recovery programs.
Overall the intensity of my excitement has grown more and more each day that I am here. I feel so blessed with this opportunity. The Spirit of God is all around this place and it is for anyone who really wants help. Star of Hope helps clients using a non-judgmental and holistic approach. My faith, spiritual outlook and belief in God has been greatly increased and I am constantly reminded that God is there for us all.
There is a sense of peace and God’s constant presence in this atmosphere of kindness, consideration, respect and cheerfulness.
The scripture I would associate with Star of Hope is Mathew 11:28. "Come to me, all ye labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!"
Shavette Carter
Star of Hope Mission Intern
Our City ∙ Our Home ∙ Our Mission™
Volunteer Opportunities Houston
Star of Hope Mission
Last June I heard Kelly share her testimony at a Star of Hope graduation. She admitted with sadness in her eyes that in her 30 years of living, she had experienced alcohol and drug addiction, rape, violent relationships and brain damage. Thankfully, I knew that coming to the Star of Hope meant that Kelly had hope for a much brighter future. She was determined to take the necessary steps and live life to its full potential.
Through graduations and other events I often see clients like Kelly who come into Star of Hope completely broken . . . sometimes without a job, a career or an education. Yet, they hold on to how good God is and the possibility of reaching goals that once seemed unattainable.
Not long ago a friend and I walked in to a restaurant and saw an amazing testimony beaming joyfully behind the hostess stand. I don’t think Kelly recognized me and I did not want to not make her uncomfortable. After being asked to sit and wait for the next open table, I watched proudly as I saw this lady bounce back and forth from the hostess stand, escorting patrons to their tables. She was so friendly, polite, and had a contagious spring in her step that made everyone around her smile.
I thought this could not be the same Kelly that I saw eight months ago who walked around with her head down, hoping to go unnoticed in a crowded room. This Kelly was a new lady. . . hopeful, proud, and a shining star! The feeling in my heart made me ecstatic! It was then that I remembered why Star of Hope is my mission, and why I continue to show my support to an organization that believes in building up the broken-hearted! And why the Word of God says, “. . .Greater is He that is in [us] than He that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Thanks Star of Hope for allowing me to witness such amazing transformations like Kelly.
Chrystal Rivers
Annual Giving Program Specialist
Star of Hope Mission
Our City • Our Home • Our Mission
Career Opportunities with Star of Hope
Homeless Shelters and Services Houston
I have often heard the saying, “You are going into a storm, going through a storm, or coming out of a storm.” The truth is that we really do not like any parts of storms—before, during, or after. As hard as we pray and prepare for storms to leave us alone, we still find ourselves dealing with them in some manner. Since stormy situations are inevitable, let’s take a look at a particular storm to help equip us to navigate stormy situations. Luke 8:22-25 is a good place to start:
"Now it happened, on a certain day that Jesus got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, 'Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.' And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing!' Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, 'Where is your faith?' And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, 'Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!'"
The disciples were afraid and cried out to Jesus in the mist of the stormy situation, and the Master woke up and calmed the storm and then challenged their faith.
If you or a loved one is experiencing fear in the midst of the stormy situations of homelessness and alcohol or drug addiction, don’t give up! Do as the disciples did when they cried out to Jesus, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Jesus can turn your stormy situations into stories of hope and healing. Jesus will get you to the other side of the pain and suffering just keep the faith in Him! It may seem strange but God is working it out and is with you according to Romans 8:28; 38-39:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (28)."
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (38-39)."
Because we are the hands and feet of Jesus, Star of Hope exists as a shelter of love, hope and healing to help you navigate stormy situation.
Our City • Our Home • Our Mission
Homeless Programs and Services for Men
Houston's Star of Hope Mission
Star of Hope launched Vision 2015 - to serve 2000 homeless or near homeless each day by 2015 by helping them find new life and faith in Jesus Christ and improving job and life skills for successful independent living.
With that vision we have added a Jobs Developer who contact area employers and encourage them to hire our clients needing second chances. We also added an Outreach Coordinator who will be contacting churches and community organizations who desire to meet the need of the disadvantaged in their communities. And, we added New Haven, a program working with single, chronically homeless women, helping them find stable housing and skills to live independently.
It has been a busy summer laying foundation for the Jobs Effort, Outreach and New Haven while also ensuring New Horizons, our Long Term Housing program, is running well. The Extended Services staff is excited about the future of the clients we serve and how Star of Hope can help MORE people in the coming years.
Matthew 6:19-20 says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal.”
Star of Hope taught me what to invest in. I learned to invest in Jesus. To invest in those things that brought me peace and joy. I learned to expect a return on investing in learning how Jesus wanted me to live. To invest my time and energy to read, learn, depend, ponder and receive the Word of God. Every day I invest my energies in thinking on those things that are true and pure. I had learned and was taught to think the worst of things. To expect that bad things will happen and to continually get a good dose of bad news through our nightly news broadcast. If you realize, bad news sell. Bad news has a way to capture your attention and time.
What harvest or investment am I expecting? Every day we sow either a good or bad seed. Therefore, the harvest that is to be expected is dependent on the seed that we sow. I try my best to tell people something that would encourage, strengthen and support them. Believe me, we can get bad advice and bad information from or media and friends and family, but who will help to give us hope and faith. Sometimes we can be in a bad mood or having a rough day, but just think, if someone would encourage us or tell us to continue to have hope and faith in Jesus… we may just have a better day.
Star of Hope taught me to invest my time, thoughts, energy, and speech, on those things that are true and pure and that I should always have hope and faith in Jesus. If I invest in Jesus, I am guaranteed a good return on investment - Peace, Joy and Eternal Life.
Robert Hudson
Former Star of Hope Client
Last night we at Star of Hope experienced an amazing Christmas miracle... a Christmas Tree Lighting Service with several hundred homeless parents and their kids together... children joyfully singing. It was just wonderful!
The miracle is that just a few short months ago, these families were in despair, with no place to go and no hope for their future. That is a terrible place to be in life. But last night, the Christmas Miracle...the HOPE that is ours in Christ was apparent all around! And it’s all because of you that these families have the support and services they need to put their lives back together.
Thank you for helping us financially and for your prayers and volunteer hours. Because of you these families have HOPE once again. And we will work diligently while they are in our care to help them find all that God has planned for them in the future.
Give a Christmas Miracle of your own right now, and help change a life forever!
Houston Shelters for Families in Crisis
Star of Hope Mission
The temperature may be dropping but not our hopes for filling the freezer at the new Star of Hope Donation and Distribution Center. In fact, we could not be more excited about our up-coming event with partners KSBJ, NGEN Radio and Kroger. With their help, we are planning to pack the freezer with 20,000 pounds of frozen food.
If that sounds like a lot of groceries, then check this out. We serve 23,000 meals every week to homeless men, women and children. And with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays upon us, we need every single pound.
So here’s a shout-out of thanks to KSBJ, NGEN Radio and Kroger for joining us in the cause. And to you, our amazingly generous friends and supporters, a plea to pick up an extra bag or two of frozen vegetables or fruit---even an extra turkey or ham, when you do your holiday shopping at Kroger, and donate it to Star of Hope.
The big Fill the Freezer event will be held on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. We will be accepting donations at two Kroger locations:
- In Sugar Land, at 4825 Sweetwater Blvd.(77479)
- In Cypress, 17455 Spring Cypress (77429).
This is a win/win deal, because when you give to us, KSBJ and NGEN Radio will give a gift to you.
Don’t leave us in the cold! Come out to these Kroger stores and help us Fill the Freezer!
This morning as I was getting ready for work, I was listening to one of my favorite songs. Today I heard the lyrics in a different way. The song says, “How can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?”
I thought about Star of Hope. Daily, we as staff are privileged to see God at work in the lives of our clients. Standing as witnesses to God’s intervention and outpouring of grace, we see the change. Here, hundreds of testimonies collide. Moms are resentful and wrestle with God. Dads are angry and resist God. Children are confused and question God. We remind our clients that the circumstances that led them to Star of Hope are not outside of God’s provision, but as a demonstration of His love and sovereignty he calls us here. Out of His great love for us, He brought us to this place. We remind our clients and we remind ourselves.
Star of Hope is filled with brokenness, and overcome by a Healer. God is present. He is at work in the lives of our clients. He is at work in the staff. How could I stand here and not be moved by God? How could I, surrounded by the transformation of lives, not be changed?
The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will
prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
1 Samuel 10:6
There are only ten more days until Thanksgiving and I wish you could see how hard our staff is working! We’re having another year of record needs, and preparations for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are already in high gear.
Why does our staff work so diligently? Because THEY KNOW how important it is for EVERY person at Star of Hope this holiday season to see — through a special meal in a caring environment — how much they are loved.
You know yourself, that Thanksgiving can be a lonely time as we miss lost loved ones. That is even more extreme for homeless individuals and families who have no place else to go. The loneliness and regret sets in so deeply for so many. But Star of Hope will be “their family” this holiday season, thanks to you, as our community comes together to lift lives.
It’s amazing that so many people like you join in to feed and care for our neighbors in need. Our Lord must smile down from Heaven, thinking. . .I love Houston’s compassion for the poor and needy. . .that’s what I gave my life for! Thank you for your great compassion. With your continuing support, homeless men, women and families will find the life-changing care they need at Star of Hope, during the holidays and beyond!
Also, don’t forget about the KSBJ, NGENradio and Kroger Fill the Freezer Food Drive for Star of Hope on November 20, 2012. Get the details now!
Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving!
Star of Hope's New Haven program DOUBLED its census in one day as Elizabeth and nine other ladies moved into their BRAND NEW apartments on October 24, 2012.
Elizabeth stayed at Star of Hope's Women & Family Emergency Shelter before moving into her new apartment. She was working part time and was unsure of her next steps when the time came to leave the shelter. The staff told Elizabeth about New Haven, a program for single women who have struggled with emotional issues and would benefit from supportive services. New Haven was her answer.
Elizabeth, and her adult daughter, Sarah, applied and were accepted to New Haven. Mother and daughter are thrilled they are able to be neighbors. Elizabeth proudly showed off her new apartment to Star of Hope staff and visitors they day they moved in. She opened her door with her new key. . . a door to a bright future.
“'For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans for a hope and a future.” -- Jeremiah 29:11
I read and re-read the letter. Glazing over the misspellings and grammatical errors to see only the heart behind the words. “I am so much better for the time we spent together,” Amy* wrote. “May the next resident be as blessed as I.” My heart swells with what can only be described as pride as I offer up a prayer for Amy as she departs our New Haven program.
Amy moved into Star of Hope's New Haven in May 2012. She had goals of obtaining income, attaining stability with her mental health issues, and reconciling with her daughter, Molly*. Not long after she entered the program, she was approved for disability benefits and food stamps. She continued meeting with her psychiatrist to achieve the proper medication levels and her medical doctor to find relief for the pain in her back and neck. She also began to contact her daughter, attending college in another state.
Having fled to Houston to escape an abusive relationship, Amy realized she had to get stronger before she could return to her home state. New Haven provided the environment and encouragement for her to do just that. “After much prayer and prep work, I have arranged a transfer to begin rebuilding my daughter and my relationship,” Amy writes. She leaves us another message, scrawled on the back of an old receipt...“Time to take off the training wheels.”
Having begun the healing process at Star of Hope’s Women and Family Emergency Shelter and then continuing to gain wisdom and strength, Amy made the brave decision to return. She has saved money for rent in her OWN place, purchased tickets for travel, and pre-planned her continued medical care in her new destination. Now, I call that SUCCESS!!
We pray Amy continues to be in touch with us and let us know how her daughter is doing. But, even if she doesn't’t, we know that God is with Amy...and, He will NEVER let her go.
Learn more about Star of Hope's New Haven. *Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.
There are lots of ways you can help…
One of the questions I hear over and over from folks in our community is this: "How can I help the homeless?” When we see someone on a street corner begging for money, or hear about someone struggling to pay their bills and about to lose their housing, we feel compelled to help. Yet we almost immediately feel helpless as to what’s the best thing to do.
When I hear this question, here’s my response. The streets of Houston are not a safe place for ANYONE to live. The best thing you can do is to encourage the person to come to one of Star of Hope’s emergency centers to get help. Visit our website for addresses, phone numbers and maps for Men’s Development Center and Women & Family Emergency Shelter locations. You can also get specific help by calling Star of Hope at 713-748-0700 or by sending a request through our website.
In the first six months of this year, the demand for our emergency services at Star of Hope has RISEN 33% from 2011…and this is the fourth year in a row we have seen increases. There is clearly great need in our city! Annual surveys are done each January to do a “one time count” of individuals observed to be homeless on a particular night, and these numbers fluctuate year to year. In addition to those counted on the streets, we see hundreds of others come to us from marginal or dangerous housing situations seeking emergency shelter and help every day. We call these the “hidden homeless.”
The good news is that Star of Hope is here to provide, thanks to you! And we don’t turn anyone away who comes desiring our help. More good news…once they are here, they can engage in life recovery and skills building programs designed to help them find a new hope in living and new abilities to live a successful life as a productive member of our community.
But we need your help today to serve the large and growing numbers who are coming! You can donate now…financially if you are able, or by conducting your own donations drive and then delivering to Star of Hope.
Just look at what these special young people have done just recently to help the homeless of our city.
If you’re interested in conducting your own drive, please learn about all the types of items we need as donations or explore other volunteer opportunities with Star of Hope.
So no need to wonder about how to help, just check out these resources and come join us as we serve!
She read it in Pockets. A children's magazine, given to her by her great GrandMary.
This idea of really celebrating by giving rather than getting.
And at only six, she marched right up to me and declared that this is how she wanted to begin her seventh year.
"I just already have so much... and kids at the homeless shelter... they don't have anything, right?"
And she had asked it hopeful "... but you can still make me a cake, right? And maybe my birthday gifts could be time with people? Where everyone just talks to me and plays stuff with me? And I can still have my birthday sign you made from last year?"
So we went to Target. Made a gift registry, took that scanner and had a blast walking aisles and imaging the excitement of the unsuspecting recipients with every beep.
Then we celebrated the gift Selah is to each of us who are blessed to be in her life.
Family and friends generously gave and a little over a week later we walked into Star of Hope arms-full and hopeful these that small seeds of Christ-love would root deep in lonely hearts.
This world is ugly and broken but He is beautiful and healing and we are all truly homeless without Him.
And she had whispered it quiet... as we waited for Scott Arthur and Betty Nunnally to return to the conference room to talk with us and give us a tour of this shelter they help sustain... she wanted to know because the picture of the sweet toddler sleeping on a mat held her curiosity... "Do they really have to sleep on the floor, Mom?..."
I told her I didn't think so, that I thought they had beds.
When Scott and Betty returned with cameras and questions and compliments and information we learned that yes, they have beds, but about 900 people per night stay with them and 101 people had to sleep on the floor the previous night.
"When they come to us, they truly have nothing..." Betty told us later as we walked through cheerful rooms where staff made joyful banging-noise with children, and passed a class of staff-lead discussion with teens. She shared of a child staying with them who expressed delight that her bed actually had the luxury of sheets. "... Something she had never had before."
We saw the round tables of the cafeteria, "... So it feels less 'institutional'... more like home..."
Betty shared about professional development programs and of the chapel and counseling and of deep generational wounds and that really "only those who really embrace a relationship with Christ make lasting change. And we don't force this on them. But they have the opportunity..."
And they, who serve day in and day out, thanked Selah for sharing her gifts, and asked to take a few pictures.
She smiled shy and whispered hope to me "maybe this will encourage other kids to do the same thing?..." and I wondered how she grew into this little woman while I was blinking.
And Selah, she thought a lot and asked a lot and later told me with unwavering certainty "Mom, this is something I want to do again next year."
Elise Duncan
See more pictures on Redeeming the Days
Our good friends at TV 11 are reaching out to the community to help Houston’s homeless with Star of Hope. We have an urgent and ongoing need for simple toiletries to give the 80 – 100 men, women and even children sleeping on our shelter floors waiting for a room and a bed. Help us help them.
Recently, I took some time out of the classroom at Ms. Mely’s request and helped her get the final things together for the camp that the kids and Star of Hope staff attended last week. We had to scan documents, pick out some dark colored shirts for the girls to wear over their swimsuits and collect toiletries to send with the children for the 4 days.
As Mely and I were talking, she explained to me how grateful the children are for these items. She told me how appreciative they would be for the dark t-shirts to wear over their swimsuits. She said they don’t care if clothes have been worn by someone else. As long as it is something they like they are happy. She told me that last year when they were getting ready for Camp Good News, Star of Hope purchased 4 new outfits for each child.
Mely said the children were so excited to have new clothes. They were amazed that the clothes still had the new tags on them. The first year when they were shopping they tried to pick out different outfits so the children would have different things to wear. She said they were so excited to have the new outfits and they would plan which days they were going to wear their outfits so they could match with their friends. The second year, they weren’t able to have a lot of variety in the clothes they purchased, but the children were still so excited and didn’t care if everyone had the same thing, they were just grateful that they had new clothes.
This really makes me think about how much we take for granted. I know that when I was a little girl, you wouldn’t catch me in something that someone else had worn. Now as an adult, I love finding a good sale… a bargain at Ross or at a resale shop. My priorities have changed.
We can learn a lot from these children. Just this small example of them being so appreciative for a new (or used) shirt or outfit speaks to me beyond words. At such a young age, they understand that it doesn’t matter if the clothes we wear are new, we should just be grateful for what God has blessed us with. They are more than grateful for anything we or God can provide for them. That is why donations are so important to Star of Hope. The number of homeless people the shelter serves is incredible, so the need for supplies is substantial.
Rebecca Ehrman
ExxonMobil Intern
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” -- Proverbs 19:17
"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." -- Deuteronomy 15:11
Make this a Summer of Hope for Houston’s Homeless
Star of Hope Mission
Once homeless at the age of 6, Daronica is now pursuing a Masters Degree!
As Star of Hope works with families experiencing homelessness, we pay special attention to the children. They are the true victims in all their family is going through, and many times fall behind quickly in school. But with support and help while at the Star of Hope, more children of homeless families are catching up academically, dreaming their own dreams, and becoming successful, independent citizens in our community.
We had a very special guest at Star of Hope recently, who came to visit us 15 years after her family’s bout with homelessness. When Daronica was six, her family came to Star of Hope. Her mom was addicted to drugs and found the resources she needed for a fresh start in life. “Before, my mom was never around,” Daronica, now age 23, remembers. “She would just leave, and my brothers would have to take care of me.”
At Star of Hope things began to change. “It was a good experience for me and my sisters and brothers,” Daronica says. In addition to food, shelter and clothing, Star of Hope helps the children of homeless families with their own special needs. School age kids are in uniforms and back in school within just a couple of days, after school tutors help them catch up on their studies, some 1 or 2 years behind in grade level, and student ministries encourage them to find a faith in Christ and seek God’s perfect plan for their life.
Daronica says that the staff and volunteers also made a big impact on her life. Today, Daronica is pursuing a master’s degree in early childhood education. Because of the help she was given while at Star of Hope as a child, she continues to volunteer and invest in the lives of children.
Recently, Daronica shared some of her story on Star of Hope's a Guest Blog, Helping Houston's Homeless. Read My Background Is Not An Excuse To Give Up!
Your generous gifts and prayers help hundreds of children in our care today, like Daronica, to break the cycle and become all that God wants them to be. Thank you for your help and support as we invest in the lives of these beautiful creations God has made. We are grateful for friends like you!
Share Your Story - Helping Houston's Homeless
Star of Hope Mission
As we celebrate together this July 4th we can also remember and help the thousands of Houstonians, many of them veterans, who are struggling with homelessness.
Last week, Star of Hope was featured on a number of Clear Channel and Cox Radio stations. They talked about summertime for Houston’s homeless and the perils the heat brings to them. A friend of mine stopped by our home for something, and said, “Hey, I heard your interview on KTRH 740AM, and really learned a lot about how challenging the summer is for the homeless of Houston. I really hadn’t thought about it before.” We proceeded to talk for 20 minutes or so, about how individuals and families come in crisis day and night, seeking respite from the heat and needing help, and how challenging summer time is for them.
This week, while we’re busy grilling and enjoying the 4th of July and celebrating with friends & family, thousands in our city will be struggling just to find a few dollars for something to eat, for a safe and cool place to sleep, and for help to get back on track in life.
You can help turn despair into Hope by joining the Houston Area Toyota Dealers, who are generously offering a DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR MATCH of any gift given to Star of Hope, up to $15,000! Make a generous gift right now, and say a prayer for the lives your gift will touch with safe shelter, food, clothing, and help in their crisis!
Blessings to you and yours.
Yesterday, Star of Hope Mission celebrated 105 years of ministry to the homeless in Houston. From the very beginning in 1907 one of the most exciting, consistent results of this ministry has been the restoration of families. What a legacy!
This photo was taken during a dinner at Star of Hope in 1932. Notice the sign on the wall?
"How long is it since you wrote to your MOTHER?"
I wonder how many letters, phone calls and emails have gone out from Star of Hope to worried moms? How many men have walked out of the doors of Star of Hope ready to start over and return to their families?
Over the years, the “face of homelessness” has changed and Star of Hope has continually met the challenge of change with new ministries, innovation and improvement. Today Star of Hope serves not only men, but women and entire families. Parents and their children can stay together in a safe, caring environment as parents get the help they need with addiction, education, personal skills and employment. Restoration starts here.
When I’m able to attend a commencement celebration at Star of Hope’s Men’s Development Center or Transitional Living Center it’s always one of the highlights of the month for me. What joy to see families of the graduates cheering them on! Countless times I’ve seen graduating sons and daughters apologize to their parents for the things that they’ve put them through. I’ve seen commencing moms ask their young children to forgive them for “not being a good mommy” and promising them a better life.
The legacy of giving hope to families in need is one of the reasons I feel so blessed to work with Star of Hope. Thank you Houston for giving your time, skills, finances and prayers to make this and so much more possible.
Shelters and Services for Families in Crisis
Houston’s Star of Hope
Powered by Compendium