Houston Emergency Shelter

People often ask me, “What causes homelessness?”   The answer is almost anything you can imagine, and sometime the unimaginable.   Case in point.   The other day, I met a woman who is living at our Women and Family Emergency Shelter, because she had quit her job.  Naturally, given the scarcity of jobs these days, she had my full attention.

As she began to unfold her story, it was clear she had not quit because of some egregious wrong in the workplace or a gross laxity in personal responsibility.   She quit in order to protect her 15-year old son from the perils of the street.  You’re probably thinking, what a desperate thing to do.  Well, it was.  Except that this woman was between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
 
Being a struggling, single parent, living in a rough neighborhood, she could not be both on the job and also at home monitoring her son’s activities and associates.  The hours between the close of school and the end of her work day were too many for her comfort.  There was evidence that the draw of the streets was stronger than the law of her household.  With her limited income, she could not afford a better neighborhood, and, as she said, “I had to get him out of there. The money I was making was not as important as his life.”  With nowhere else to go and homelessness as her option, Star of Hope was her only hope.

I have to tell you that I have great admiration for this mom.  She is a courageous, selfless woman who was willing to sacrifice everything she had to give her son an opportunity to live with honesty, decency, and purpose.  She took a leap of faith and found peace in the shelter, where she and he are receiving the help they need, now. and the preparation they need for the future.
 

Visit Star of Hope Mission and learn more about Shelters Houston Texas.

On any given night, nearly half of the homeless people in our Women’s & Family Emergency Shelter are children. Every afternoon, they gather with the Mission staff for “Daily Prayer Time”, where they write their prayer requests on little slips of paper. Then they sit in a circle, and a staff member leads them in prayer, reading each individual request.

Over the years, we have logged thousands of these prayer requests. Here are a few examples:

I want to pray for abused children everywhere.

I pray that my mom finds a house.

Thank you, Lord for a home.

I pray to go to the NBA.

I pray for good health, a job and a home.

I pray for everybody to get a place to stay.

Thank you God for giving me life!

I pray that I go to the NFL.

I pray that I get a house with a dog.

I pray I pass the TAKS test and become a lawyer.

I pray for a home and a car and a second chance. 

I pray that a homeless person gets a job.

I pray to God to help me stop having nightmares.

I pray to God to help me find my purpose in life.

I pray for my sister and my mom.

I want to ask you God for a home and a father.

I pray for my family to be ok.

I love you God!

Recently, we switched our Yellow Cab Ads. Have you noticed? We now offer ANOTHER option in our Ways to Give collection. You can now INSTANTLY donate $10 to help Star of Hope help the homeless in Houston. Just text "SOH" to 20222. It's that simple - and that important to us.

We call this campaign "The Summer of Hope" and we feature a cute little girl (an actual client) pretty in pink with a smile that would melt an iceberg. But if we showed you the hundreds of children without homes this summer - right here in Houston - you wouldn't see many smiles. You'd see frowns and sparks of panic and fear in their eyes.
 
Houston is without question, one of the most generous cities in America. But even Space City has communication problems. Folks don't realize that SUMMER is our busiest and most challenging time of the year. SUMMER is when homeless families that have been holding out in apartments without lights - give up and go to a shelter because of the heat. Or, a homeless family has been staying with friends or relatives to keep the kids in school but now its SUMMER and they're asked to leave - and live on the street - or in our shelter.

A few nights ago, IN ADDITION to the 1,000 homeless men, women and children sheltered in our facilities, 106 women and children slept in our atrium at the downtown  Star of Hope Women and Family Emergency Shelter. I believe that's a record - and a chilling sign of our times.

Help us make this a SUMMER of HOPE For these folks. Text your $10 or better yet - dig a little deeper if you can and assist us in overcoming what is now a $700,000 deficit this year.

God bless and inspire you - and thank you.

Learn about other ways to give. Visit Charitable Donations Houston

What would you say if you had the opportunity to share a few words of encouragement with a child receiving care at Star of Hope? This is an opportunity for you to do just that.

Next month children from Women & Family Emergency Shelter, Transitional Living Center and New Horizons will head back to school.  Thanks to the generous support of friends and donors, every one of these children will step onto the bus and into their classroom with everything they need to succeed. New school uniforms, new shoes and a backpack full of supplies!

You can add to their excitement and joy by writing a short note of encouragement for the school age children at Star of Hope. Please take a moment and “Leave a comment” on this blog. We will print your note, along with others we receive, and give them to the children before the first day of school.

Thanks for caring and making a difference in these children's lives!

School Donations Houston: Ways to get involved and help a child succeed:
- Send a note of encouragement to a child on this blog.
- If you receive our July Newsletter in the mail, write a note on the enclosed backpack tag and send it back to us.
- Donate financially to provide needed items and continued care throughout the school year.
- Coordinate a drive for school supplies or other urgent needs.
- Spread the word! Tell your friends about all of these opportunities to change a child’s life.
 

Yesterday, I was entering a CVS store to purchase batteries when I noticed sitting down away from the front entrance a homeless person. In all my years I had never seen someone so affected by the streets , she was covered in dirt, torn dirty clothing, barefoot and both her arms were in casts. Someone had bought her an ice cream which she was frantically trying to eat as the Houston heat melted it away, I was crushed at the site.

I have been in similar situations where I was preoccupied, disconnected and maybe thought my giving a dollar or two would provide help, but not this time.  I approached her and told her that I was torn up on the inside and that I wanted to help her anyway I could .  She turned and looked at me with the biggest eyes I have ever seen and said "Mr., I am just waiting on God to get me out of this mess. If He is real I know He will save me." Obviously, that response spoke to me and put the responsibility back on me as a child of God to be the hands of Christ. I sat down and had a conversation with this sweet soul and found out about her journey from cheerleader in Jacksonville Florida where she grew up. “I was pretty back then,” she exclaimed several times as she reflected on a life of tragedy and brokenness. She told me the way I could help her was to get her to the Star of Hope where they had helped her in the past. This blessed me to no end because I had not told her that I worked for Star of Hope and it confirmed in my heart that the Good Shepherd was still actively protecting and growing the flock.

I called the Star of Hope Women and Family Emergency Shelter where I made arrangements to get Robin to the shelter and as soon as we walked in the door the attendant at the desk  made immediate arrangements for shower, food and fresh clothing. I left her in good hands and said my goodbyes to Robin who is forever etched into my heart.

Please join with me and pray for Robin and the thousands just like her all over Houston. They aren’t a group of people called "The Homeless",  they are individuals, consciously or unconsciously waiting for God to get them out of this mess.

I’ve often heard that for kids a week at summer camp is equal to a year’s worth of Christian education. Many dynamic Christians have shared testimonies of how Jesus first became real in their lives while attending camp. The children at Star of Hope are no different. Amidst horseback rides, canoeing and the many new challenges of the great outdoors, they learn about a Savior who loves them and will never leave them. There, around the glowing embers of the campfire, a yearning for His purpose in their lives is powerfully and forever ignited. So how awesome is it that Star of Hope sends about 120 children to summer camp each year?!?! 

Of course, the kids don’t simply hop on the bus and ride off to their cabins in a wooded paradise. Getting 120 children ready for camp is a HUGE job that could not be accomplished with the generosity of our donors and volunteers. Since most of our children do not have the essentials for a week at camp, we pack and send each camper with everything he or she needs – shorts, t-shirts, socks & underwear, swimsuits, tennis shoes, flip-flops, towels, toiletries, and most important, a Bible. 

This week, volunteers will be at our Women & Family Emergency Shelter to pack a duffel bag for each child.   This is not a fast job – packing must be done with care and an eye for detail. Not only is it important for campers to have the items they need, it is very important they have the right sizes. Volunteers from the Doubletree Hotel – Houston Downtown will kick-off the packing party and donate travel-size toiletries. Rick & Carole Wilcox, Harry Kirkpatrick, Melvin Jackson, Nellie Zarate, Durwood South and Vivian Busquet , along with a few more volunteers, will finish the job long before the first bus arrives. The ride to Camp Good News will be filled with joyful camp songs and happy hearts.

Please pray for our children and counselors as they travel to and from camp. And pray as our children experience God’s amazing creation in a new way, they will open their hearts to His love and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior. As they come to know the boundless love of Christ, our children will truly experience a Summer of Hope!

Learn more about Houston Volunteer Opportunities and Donation Opportunities for Summer of Hope.

Throughout the community, an exceptional group of young people are learning the skills needed to become our future leaders. These young men and women are part of the Boy Scout and Girl Scout programs. What an honor it is to work with Scouts who select Star of Hope as the site for their Eagle Scout and Girls Scout Gold Award projects!  

The project requirements are stringent. Scouts must submit a comprehensive plan - containing a detailed description of the project, the necessary supplies and materials, how the project will be funded and how the project will benefit Star of Hope - that goes through many levels of approval in the Scout organizations before work can begin. 

This month, Scouts Mark Camero and Kevin Sweat will complete the projects they first proposed last year. Mark designed and is coordinating a team to build shelving units for a storage area at Star of Hope’s Women & Family Emergency Shelter. Kevin designed and is coordinating a team to build a seating area and improve the area around a playground at our Transitional Living Center. Scout Brian Howell is working on a project that will include a new seating area and beautification of an area around Star of Hope’s administration building. From drawing plans to material take-offs, these young men have covered all the bases. Scouts Tyler Barron and Matthew Salazar recently hosted donation drives for pillows, towels, socks and underwear and collected several thousand items! As we work with these young men over many months, nothing is more awesome and inspiring than when the invitation arrives to their Court of Honor ceremonies! 

Girl Scouts Madeline Bowser and Kelsey Pearson developed Gold Award projects that enriched the lives of the elementary-school-age children at our Transitional Living Center. Madeline organized and hosted three fun-filled monthly theme parties and also collected children’s socks and underwear. Kelsey, who lived in China for several years, shared her love for international cultures by organizing and hosting three international festivals that included arts & crafts, food and games. Not only did our children benefit from these unique experiences, Madeline and Kelsey were excellent role models.

In addition to these wonderful young people, Boy Scout leader Shana Montgomery has been a special blessing. While working through the demanding Wood Badge program, which teaches advanced leadership skills, Shana selected Star of Hope for her community service project. She helped get our children ready for summer camp by collecting flip-flops in all colors and sizes. 

We are so proud of our Scouts and grateful for the many ways they bless our mission! Each Scout demonstrates a tremendous work ethic, dedication and compassion for those less fortunate. Their commitment and service truly gives Houston’s homeless men, women and children hope for a better tomorrow.

"We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield." Psalm 33:20

Summer has officially arrived for the families at Star of Hope’s Women & Family Emergency Shelter and the Transitional Living Center! Thanks to our amazing friends at Key Energy Services, Star of Hope families kicked off a “Summer of Hope” with a fun-packed fajita fiesta!  This was the 4^th year Key Energy has hosted the end-of-school celebration and no detail was overlooked!

This morning, both courtyards at the Transitional Living Center were filled with sombrero-topped smiles, giggles and laughter as our families played carnival games, posed at the photo booth, scored points at the huge, inflatable basketball throw and jumped in the always-popular moonwalk.   Popsicles of every flavor, buttered popcorn and luscious paper cones of pink and blue cotton candy were just a few of the delectable treats. Face painters created custom works of art as they created tigers, butterflies and superheros. Not only were there pony rides, but our families also visited the petting zoo with sheep, billygoats, a brown baby llama and a 45-year-old, 80+ pound box turtle.  

There was even a very special time of pampering and relaxation for our moms, including manicures and chair massages. Make-up artists from Macy’s at Baybrook Mall generously volunteered their time again this year to delight our moms with professional makeovers and goodie bags.

While everyone enjoyed the festivities, a team of Key Energy volunteers took charge of the kitchen to prepare a spectacular feast! At noon, volunteers served fajitas with all the trimmings along with ice cream bars for dessert. Muy delicioso!

We are grateful for the incredible generosity of Key Energy Services and the many hours of creative planning their volunteers spent to make this morning such a whopping success. It gave our families a time to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of the past school year as they shared some south-of-the-border fun. However, the importance and significance of this event reaches far beyond the few hours of today. Many families at Star of Hope don’t have those special, happy memories that bond your family and mine together. Often their lives are filled only with the memories of abuse, addiction, poverty and bad choices. But today that changed. Key Energy volunteers created fabulous memories that will forever bond Star of Hope families together, touch their hearts and give them hope for a better tomorrow! Today was truly a fiesta de esperanza – a Fiesta of Hope!

Give Houston's homeless families hope for a better tomorrow.
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Charity Work Houston

This week we have all been bombarded with advertisements from greeting card companies, florists and jewelers enticing us to find the perfect gift for Mother’s Day.  We’ve seen images of adoring children gathered around mom, sharing moments of fun and laughter. But instead of those perfect family portraits captured by Kodak, just for a moment, imagine being a homeless mom with several small children. You don’t know how you’re going to feed your children or where you will find a safe place for them to curl up and sleep. Stressed and exhausted, you feel like a failure. You have little hope for a better tomorrow until, somehow, you arrive at the Star of Hope Women & Family Emergency Shelter. There, in the midst of your pain and struggles, you find people eager to help you and your children. Not only are needs of your family met, but there is a special Mother’s Day surprise just for you!

Last year, Sue Clark of Houston Gift Rep Group, wanted to honor the moms at our shelter with special Mother’s Day flowers. She found beautiful cream-colored vases trimmed in gold and ordered enough flowers to fill all the vases. Sue even found a florist who allowed her to use their workroom from 9 AM until noon on Saturday. Sue, along with helper Sharon Reese, a tiny lady with a Texas-size heart, worked at a feverish pace all morning. But at noon, there were still many arrangements to be made. It’s so amazing how God works! Business was so good the florist had to stay open. Throngs of customers kept coming until the last arrangement was assembled!

Sue delivered more than 200 beautiful, fragrant, ribbon-tied arrangements to the shelter for the staff to distribute Sunday morning. There were tears of joy and big, happy smiles from all the moms. Some of our moms had never before received flowers from anyone. This was their very first time! Here are some of the comments made by our moms:

·         This is so beautiful, I love it!”

·         “Oh, my, thank you so much!”

·         “Oooh!  You don’t know how much this means to me!  Thank you so much!”

·         “This is lovely, so I get to celebrate Mother’s Day!”

·         “Thank you for the flowers.”

·         “Thank you for making us feel special!”

However, this Mother’s Day story doesn’t end on Sunday. On Monday, a first-time mom came home from the hospital (to a homeless shelter) with precious newborn twins. She didn’t leave the hospital with carts full of flowers, balloon and the other special well wishes that make this time even more exciting. But when she arrived at the Women & Family Emergency Shelter, Sue’s flowers were there to celebrate the very special delivery and her first Mother’s Day!

This year, as an organization, Houston Gift Rep Group has followed Sue’s lead and will again provide Mother’s Day flowers for all of the shelter’s moms. Moms who are struggling through times of crisis will know they are loved, appreciated and valued – not only by their children, but by the One who created us all. And as our moms are surrounded by His love, their hearts will be touched and the lives of their families forever changed.   Happy Mother’s Day!

In the past, when people were homeless, or in an emergency situation such as domestic violence they would find their way to the doors of our shelters where they would be received by open arms and the services that would help improve their circumstances. Our staff were geared towards working those front doors, tending to the crowds in the intake centers and having face to face time with the people who have so many critical needs. These days, with the online world growing rapidly and electronic communication exploding, it seems that more people are calling in for help and/or using our web site to find services. In December of 2009 Star of Hope received 32,000 inbound phone calls. Many of these calls were volunteers and donors who were looking for information on how they could help but most were people seeking services for themselves or desperately seeking help for a loved one. We receive an increasing number emails daily from people who are trying to find help or seeking help for a family or friend.

Exciting news for us. We have been planning a Call Center for the past several months that will help us connect people seeking services with a live voice when they call. A voice that can get them the help they are seeking, someone who can minister to the needy, someone who will pray and guide.

Perhaps the most exciting news about this Call Center project is it will be staffed with volunteers! These volunteers will be trained thoroughly on how to connect our callers to the services they need. 

Please pray for this effort since it will take tremendous resources to be the high impact unit we expect it to be and if you would like to volunteer be on the look out for the posting at High Impact Volunteer Jobs Houston or email me at aholmes@sohmission.org.
 

Easter always brings back the memory of a time when I was a little girl, sitting in the church pew with my parents, listening to the choir perform songs about the risen Christ. But one man in particular, always had me riveted to my seat. His voice was so deep and rich that the lyrics seemed to swell over the organ, especially when he sang, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? Something about that song always went right through my small frame. It was my first recognition of the awful beauty of His gift.

All these years later, I recognize that beauty which comes from agony, again, in the faces of our clients, at Star of Hope, whether the Men's Development Center, the Women and Family Emergency Shelter, or the Transitional Living Center. They have endured painful—often terrible times, their losses are acute, and the harsh realities of their circumstances can be seen in their eyes. They have had to be courageous in ways most of us cannot imagine. But Easter comes for them just as it came for Jesus. In this Christ-centered community, the Lord extends His nail-pierced hands to help homeless men, women, and children rise up from the pain, the past and fear of the future, and walk in the hope that is blood-bought, indelible, and available. Through our wonderful donors, volunteers, and advocates, the gift of Christ is at work at Star of Hope in the programs offered and the extraordinary staff who love our clients unconditionally.  And it is beautiful to behold. 
 

Learn more about Star of Hope's life-changing ministries by visiting Supporting Houston Ministries

I remember Easter time when I was growing up here in Houston. My mom and grandmother would take me shopping for the perfect new dress, complete with all the matching accessories, to wear to church on Easter morning. Oh, my goodness! Dressing rooms filled with possibilities and girl-time I will never forget. But most of the moms who come to Star of Hope are worried about a safe place for their children to sleep and finding food to fill aching bellies. Their thoughts are not on a trip to the mall, but survival. 

So I can hardly wait for all of the little girls at our Women & Family Emergency Shelter and our Transitional Living Center to get home from school today! Thanks to our friends with Houston Gift Rep Group, there’s a very special surprise waiting for the little girls at both facilities – new Easter dresses!

Last year, Houston Gift Rep Group kicked-off a wonderful new partnership with Star of Hope by purchasing Easter dresses and hair accessories for the little girls at the Women & Family Emergency Shelter. When the girls saw all the dresses and tried on everything for the first time, there were lots of excited giggles, glowing smiles and twinkling eyes. Sunday morning, they left for church feeling very pretty and very special in their brand new outfits. Not only did they celebrate Resurrection Sunday at church, but each little girl personally experienced the outpouring of Christ’s love through this generous gesture. One of our staff members, Meka Thompson, remembers girls who wore their dresses for days after Easter, not wanting to take them off, not wanting the moment to end.

Houston Gift Rep Group members have hearts the size of Texas and this year asked to include the little girls at our Transitional Living Center. This morning, Sam Bowman and Brenda Purser delivered almost 100 dresses and hair accessories. Brenda said, “EVERY little girl should have a new dress for Easter!” 

So this afternoon will definitely be a time filled with wonder and excitement as our little girls see their new dresses and get ready for the most special Easter ever. And I continued to be grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who sends special friends, like Houston Gift Rep Group, our way.
 

Discover ways to get involved at Homeless Shelter Volunteer Houston

Saturday was a clear, sparkling, spring day! But the bright Houston sunshine did not compare with the generous, compassionate hearts of our volunteers or the big, beautiful smiles lighting up the faces of guests at Star of Hope's Women & Family Emergency Shelter. Our friends from Texon hosted their very special third annual Easter celebration, and amid all the fun and festivities, homeless men, women and children, whose lives are in crises, learned more about a Savior who loves them. 

Hundreds of colorful eggs, filled with goodies, were hidden in the shelter’s courtyard. Nothing was more fun than watching the excitement of our precious little ones as they discovered each hidden treasure. Our children, young and old, were captivated by the artistic designs of volunteer face painters and loved “modeling” their very own masterpieces. But the biggest draw was the photo booth. The photos taken of each family were transformed into keepsake portraits as technology set families in front of a gorgeous cathedral stained glass window. I wish I could describe the pride with which both adults and children showed off their family photos to other shelter guests, staff and volunteers. The photos captured a memory our guests will take with them for a lifetime!

The blessing didn’t stop there! Guests heard the Easter story – about Jesus dying on a cross and being resurrected so that we all can have eternal life – and were treated to a lunchtime concert by the Grand Parkway Baptist Church choir. Texon catered and served a delicious meal of grilled chicken Alfredo with mushrooms, peas and red peppers accompanied by French bread…..and dozens and dozens of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Volunteers iced cupcakes to order and topped them with rainbow sprinkles, colored sugar and mini-chocolate chips. Food for the body AND food for the spirit!

As I made my way to the exit, I spoke with a father/son volunteer team for just a few moments. The dad said, “It is a beautiful day outside. But being able to help people, it is even more beautiful right here, inside the shelter!” 

That is the heart of all of our volunteers and we are grateful for each of you!  Happy Easter!
 

Learn how you can get involved at Houston Volunteer Opportunities.