Hope For The Homeless

You may have seen the story "Homeless Population Keeps Increasing" in the Houston Chronicle this week, the results of the 2011 Homeless Count for our city. It's no surprise to me that the number of homeless people in Houston has risen by 25% in just one year.

If you've been following my blog the past two years, you know that Star of Hope has served record crowds since 2009, with the greatest overflow occurring at our Women & Family Emergency Shelter downtown. We have averaged 50 per night on the floor, with peaks of up to 118 for the past two calendar years. It's clear that the economy and all the disasters around us are displacing more and more families.

I must say, the most troubling number released yesterday, however, is the 10,933 school age CHILDREN in Houston, who are documented by our Houston area public school systems to be living homeless.

It's clear we need to do more. For some families, housing and job assistance will help get them back on their feet and living independently again. For most however, the causes of their homelessness run much deeper, and they need more comprehensive services to recover.

Star of Hope has been serving Houston's homeless continuously for 103 years now...it is Houston's oldest and largest ministry for our most needy Houstonians. We have learned so much about how to lead our guests into a new and fulfilling life. And we are working harder than ever in our history to expand our services and partnerships to reach the growing numbers of those in need.

The good news is that Today Is A Day Of Hope for thousands of these in our community, as Star of Hope and over 100 other service partners in our community reach out to help them!

Want to help? Go to our website and check out Volunteer Opportunities, or make a financial gift today. Summer is here and the numbers needing help are extremely high.

Houston, we have a problem. But together, with God's help and blessing, we can make a major, and for many, an eternal difference!