STAR OF HOPE MISSION

My name is Cynthia Morrison. I was exited from the "star of..not so hopeful" on Oct. 28, 2020 after saving for 8 months in their program. Kirk from work program..Faleisha my case mgr. and Ellen Kingry wrote me a letter that I was being put out for not finding a job..IN THE MIDDLE OF COVID IN MY WHEELCHAIR! Faleisha had 25 Mickey Mouse items in her office and forced me to go to a nasty vivid hotel..just because I took a test..i was allowed back in 3 days. She was annoyed from day one because I didn't want to go to the disabled program. She sabatiged my job hunting efforts. Beware of a worker who..claims to be a member of Joel Olsteens church..Shalisa Robinson. She befriended me..to rob me. I asked her to go to my storage unit to retrieve money orders..i trusted her. She asked the address..the type of lock and took a trip...later I learned my lock had been cut and money stolen. She and a friend of hers at the facility showed me a photo of the friends' "crack head" husband. Shalisa took my phone number but never called after I was exited. She txt me denying knowledge of my lock. She is a BRILLIANT GASLIGHTER..She also invited me to church on Easter then stood me up. Others told me she had tried to steal their purse. Shalisa claims she was homeless herself in Atlanta BEFORE working at the star of Hope. Faleisha practiced discrimination against me for the entire eight months..accusing me of doing things an elderly lady had actually done. Ellen will pray in a minute..but she asked if I wanted the correct spelling of her name when she exited to the street Oct. 28. Always keep the receipts from paying into the program..the worker was always trying to say you did not pay when you did! If they take a liking to you..the star of hope can help ..if not..be prepared for WRITE UPS..THAT LEAD TO EXIT!

The residents here are subjected to mistreatment, hostility, rudeness, vindictiveness and total lack of consideration by nearly all of the staff, dorm monitors, and security guards. Top management and the director of the shelter and transitional housing doesn't care about monitoring her staff for the horrible ways that they mistreat on a daily basis the residents or she would do something about it. Yet she does nothing to change or stop it. Go to another housing center like Santa Maria or Mission of Yaweh or the Wo men's Home. Because if you stay at Star of Hope you will be in a prison where you will be treated with total disrespect and hostility instead of being encouraged, helped, supported and respected.

The star of hope is not what people think it is its like a prison inside but its a good picture painted in the outside.Staff here is not professional when dealing with rescue clients and only make matters worst.Of course they will say' we dont have to stay here' but we dont want to live the streets.

The Star of Dope mission is only for profit. They require that you spend all your time at their facility so that you can not get ahead...so you will remain there....so they will get more funding. It is a sham!

The REAL name of the 'Star of Hop'e should be the 'Star of Hopelessness'.
There's what could be only described as open discrimination not only from the clients assigned as workers who play outright favoritism with certain friends by giving preferential treatment to them such as letting them cut in line to eat but even in assigning bed tickets. The handicapped are openly discriminated against, as having to stand outside in all types of inclement weather while using cane, walkers, wheelchairs etc. Many of the handicapped have health conditions making this unsafe. Depending on the 'worker' assigned to let 'Rescue client' re-enter the building for a bed ticket the handicapped are often left to sleep on the floor on a approx. two-inch mattress. please remember these people use walkers, canes, etc. so getting up or down on a regular bed is hard enough much less onto a floor.
The people who can afford to pay (yes this is supposedly a non-profit) $150.00 a month to stay at the Star of Hope Men's Development Center (MDC) are treated MUCH better than the Rescue Client. In ways such as better mattresses, being able to eat earlier, take a shower whenever needed. a actual locker to secure their personal belongings, etc. Whereas the Rescue Client is forced to store their personal items in a common area where very ofter items, if not entire pieces of baggage are stolen.
The paid staff treat the Rescues like dirt to say the least as well in how they treat and communicate with them. This is NOT a religious orginization to say the least but a way to make money as a non-profit disguised as a homeless shelter. Never will I volunteer at The Star of Hope MDC. Donate items or cash to them once I'm able. And tell all others as well the real story of the Star of Hope MDC
To make the Star of Hope even worse. ONLY the spiritual Recovery Program members (SRP's) an Veteran's in Progress" (VIP's) are allowed access to job search, clean, useable clothes for job interviews, bus passes for job searches, medical appointments etc wheres the Rescue Client is forced to walk in all weather conditions etc., and not have a sack lunch provided by the Star of Hope as SRP's and VIP's are. Need I say more.?>

I began working with Star of Hope in 1998 when, as a faculty member of Baylor College of Medicine, I was asked to develop a counseling center for women and families at the Star of Hope Transitional Living Center (TLC). As a family therapist and community health professional, this was an exciting opportunity to meet a real need in the community. As everyone knows, one of the problems in the delivery of mental health care is that many of those who need it cannot afford it. But Star of Hope made that happen. The TLC was already providing an excellent recovery program, along with a Personal Development and Career Development curriculum. The Baylor Counseling Center added additional resources: individual and family counseling, children’s play therapy, medication management, relapse prevention groups, anger assertiveness/management classes, personal health coaching, and Building Better Families classes. With access to these resources the clients were able to address their problems in a safe and professional environment and we were privileged to help facilitate the healing process. Over the years I have seen hundreds of women recover from addiction to drugs and alcohol, the trauma of partner violence and childhood sexual abuse, and such mental illnesses as depression, PTSD, and various anxiety disorders. Many would tell us that they knew what they needed to overcome their problems, but they simply could not afford it, and when they discovered the Star of Hope TLC, it was like manna from heaven. I no longer work at Baylor or Star of Hope TLC, but I return each year as a volunteer to teach my Power Over Anger course, and I am always buoyed to see the healing that happens thanks to the courage of the clients and Star of Hope’s commitment to provide professional treatment programs in a faith-based setting. -Warren Holleman, PhD

I have been involved with Star of Hope for the past 11 years. I have worked as a counselor at both the Women's Shelter and the Transitional Living Center and have witnessed first hand the many lives that have changed because of the highly dedicated staff that become personally inovolved in the lives of the people who walk through the doors of Star of of Hope. It is the goal of Star of Hope to treat each client with love and respect - to help them return to functioning in the world physically, mentally, fiscally, and spiritually whole. I have personally watched these miracles occur...to see women who literally were left on the street - beaten and left for dead and after a year of dedicated work at the Transitional Living Center of Star of Hope leave with a new life. As an example, I watched one lady leave those doors with her 10 year old daughter smiling beside her...a job...an apartment...and all because the 1 year total of combined programs at Star of Hope helped her to get her life back. Of course, she did the work. But Star of Hope provided a beautiful furnished apartment, 3 healthy meals a day for her and her daughter, the afterschool and evening and summer program for her daughter, year long individual and group counseling for her and and daughter, a 3 month intensive alcohol/drug program and year long followup, a Bible, Chrisitan education, a case manager to meet with weekly and who was always available, checkins at the front desk, volunteers who came to give extra programs, and much, much more. I will tell you that I have watched these "miracles" occur at Star of Hope often as clients graduate to their new lives. I have also worked as a counselor at the Women and Family Shelter which functions more as the traditional Homeless Shelter. I am also impressed with the manner in which the staff tirelessly and compassionately treat the many people who come asking for food and a place to stay.

As a health professional, educator, and retired Program Director, I have worked to establish and provide on-site health care services at the Star of Hope for over 20 years. In 1989 through an untraditional collaboration, on-site health care clinics were established at Star of Hope facilities. Many homeless individuals forego and delay accessing health care because of financial, programmatic, and individual barriers they encounter. By providing health care on-site, many of these barriers are eliminated and minimized. The clinics established are federally qualified health clinics and maintain national accreditation through the Joint Commission of Hospitals Ambulatory Care Standards. We are currently working to add community health workers to the cadre of service providers that collaborate to assist homeless individuals exit homelessness, attain and maintain self-sufficiency, and to prevent recidivism. I commend the Star of Hope for its collaborative spirit and extensive network of partnerships that address the myriad of problems experienced by homeless individuals. Marion Scott, MSN,RN, CHWI

I am a physician who has volunteered several hours a week at the Star of Hope for almost 12 years. I have practiced ophthalmology for over 32 years. Back in 2001, I decided to set up a free eye clinic to serve the homeless population in downtown Houston. Having good vision is essential to starting on the path to a stable and productive life. I approached the Star of Hope Men's Development Center, which had just finished new construction. I brought my own equipment, and obtained an inventory of used glasses to distribute. Over the years, I have examined over 4300 people and given over 3300 pairs of glasses.

When I walk into the Star of Hope clinic at 8:30 AM each Wednesday morning, there is usually a group of ladies waiting, having been transported from the Women and Family Shelter and the Transitional Living Center. They have filled out their paperwork already, and are ready to be seen. The staff then calls for the residents of the Men's Development Center, who have signed up for the eye clinic in advance, and takes their individual medical histories. Work proceeds quickly, with the help of a volunteer optician. At the end of each complete eye exam, each patient has used glasses to help them immediately, a prescription to obtain free new glasses, and referral to the appropriate county medical facility if necessary. Over a three hour period, between 8 and 12 patients are generally seen. This past year, the eye clinic was renovated and received state-of-the-art equipment as a result of a grant obtained by the Star of Hope. Each homeless patient gets the type of care that private patients receive.

Over the years, I have diagnosed numerous cases of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, inflammatory eye diseases, and eye movement disorders. Cases of life-threatening brain tumor and retinal detachment have also been detected, with referral for urgent surgery.

I have found the work to be very gratifying. Even the most depressed patients become elated when they can see. But this type of outreach could never have been accomplished without the excellent facilities and dedicated and compassionate staff of the Star of Hope.

As a volunteer that has coordinated and delivered training to the leaders of Star of Hope, I have witnessed the gracious and heartfelt dedication that these people have to ending homelessness for their clients. I have had the opportunity to attend some of their nightly worship services with the clients housed at the men's mission, and I have been truly moved at the transformation and hope that SOH provides to the people they serve. Their God-centered approach to clients, and each other, make this a truly exceptional organzation that serves groups of people often forgotten by so many of us. It has been a blessing to be involved with them.

I have been a Star of Hope volunteer and donor for almost 20 years. I continue to support this life changing organization because I have observed first hand the faith based recovery programs offered to men and women who had all but given up on life. Star of Hope gives them a second chance and the tools to achieve a more productive and independent life. I work with the children at their Transitional Living Center - teaching dance and coordination. In addition, several times a year my Cookie Joe's Dancin" School will produce a benefit performance or concert for the mission. Over the years we have given over $50,000 to the organization. We are able to designate our donations to specifically help the homeless children. The interior of the Place of Grace at the Women and Family Emergency Shelter is funded by our efforts and evidence of all donations is obvious in the quality of care and services. I notice that more and more families are showing up at the shelters and the need for care is growing. I encourage everyone to support this wonderful mission.

I've begun working in the background on the streets of Houston, using Star of Hope's wonderful suggestions of what kinds of items to give to the homeless. I've been out on the streets talking to the homeless folks and getting their opinions on Star of Hope since I have been considering becoming an official volunteer. I also look for ministries to give money to on a regular basis. The ONLY reason I have decided not to support SOH is due to the fact that the CEO's are paid enormous salaries. I find it hard to accept that a CEO working and caring about the homeless could in conscience accept such high salaries and live better than the normal middle class.
Sadly, I will not be supporting this much needed ministry because the excessive money that goes for these salaries could be better sent helping the poor.

I have been personally blessed through the Star of Hope at several levels. First, I have met on several occasions individuals who have been assisted by Star of Hope in the past are now in the mainstream workforce. Their lives have been changed to stable, motivated and contributing individuals. Not just to society but to others who are now where they once were.
Secondly, I have seen the walk of several of their leadership in the community. Their walk backs up the work they do at Star of Hope. They are people of integrity, character and consistency, I am impressed.
Finally, I have had several opportunities to either refer people to Star of Hope and on one occasion was personally involved in taking someone to the shelter in the late evening. They were received under a stressful situation and shown respect where others had ignored the persons situation. Many in our community are impressed with what they see about Star of Hope in news reports, and yet, I feel that what they do that makes the news pales in comparison to what they do 24/7 all year long.

Over the course of the last twelve years I have served as a GED tutor, warehouse worker, food preparation worker, and personal development instructor for Star of Hope. I have personally witnessed many lives changed as a result of this miraculous organization. Their programs are Christ-centered, well organized, efficiently managed, and the content is highly relevant to a productive Christian life. The staff of the Star of Hope are extremely compassionate and deeply concerned for the wellbeing and success of their clients. This organization is a true blessing to the less fortunate people of the Houston area.

As Executive Director of Open Door Mission we work very closely with the staff at Star of Hope in meeting the needs of the homeless and helping many of them transition to independent and productive lives. We know that most Individuals in recovery will spend time in more than one program but seeds get planted along the way. We may plant a seed, and it gets harvested while the individual is at Star of Hope and vice versa. There are times when it becomes necessary to dismiss a resident, andStar of Hope is our first choice for placement. I believe the feeling is mutual because they send people our way too. Since we do not have a program for women and children and do not provide emergency services to those not interested in recovery we refer inquiries for help to Star of Hope. Additionally, there is a plan in progress for the Alumni of both organizations to get involved in joint projects.

I’ve been acquainted with Star of Hope for at least 30 years. I have never encountered an organization that has a greater compassion for the homeless. There are intentional about rehabilitation, reorientation and exposing people to the love of Christ. They do not use coercion in any form. I have been with the president, Randy Tabor, on a freezing night and taken coffee, sandwiches, jackets, and blankets to the homeless of Houston that refuse to come to a shelter. I have seen firsthand on numerous occasions treat this people with special needs with dignity.

Star of Hope is a United Way of Greater Houston affiliate agency. We value their partnership and the work they do every day to help homeless men, women, children and families in Houston achieve a better life.

I have been involved with Star of Hope since 1988. Over the years, I have been both witness and partner to the growth and development of the organization, and I believe it has no equal. Star of Hope
is committed to serving Houston’s homeless men, women and children in a way that is compassionate, purposeful, life-changing and godly. Its long-term, transitional programs are cutting edge and designed to help people who have lost all hope to overcome their circumstances and get back into mainstream
living, having secured employment through improved job skills, and independent housing. Star of Hope is nationally recognized for its innovative work and ministry, on behalf of the thousands of homeless
individuals and families in our city who need help. It is a place of hope for all who come through its doors and a path for them to achieve success in life.

I volunteer four days a week at the Star of Hope Women and Families Shelter. My work involves daily contact with our guests, helping them find the services they need to move out of homelessness, to jobs that will sustain households and to living circumstances that will restore dignity and health. So many of our guests are discouraged and broken when they arrive, but as little as two weeks of love, acceptance, encouragement, and motivation will see them praising God that they were led to the Star of Hope--and then the staff can really work with them.

Here's a couple of illustrations of how we can help our guests. One afternoon, a guest came to me with an urgent need to find a suitable apartment. She had arranged for a housing subsidy, through the Rapid Re-housing Program, but the small house she had thought would qualify turned out at the last minute to be in a really bad neighborhood. She had to let it go. Now it was nearly 4:00, and she had to find a place by 8:00 am, or she would lose the money. We sat down together at my computer, quickly identified four potential places that had good potential, and she had a lease by dinner time [the Lord helped with the transportation]. She secured her money from the RRP, and moved out of the shelter by the end of that week.
In the Family Services department, where I work, we are talk to listen to our guests' stories. This often helps more than offering advice. A listening ear and a prayer can bring peace and encouragement to a mother who has found herself homeless. People often enter the shelter distressed. The trick is to relieve the stress, without removing the motivation to move on, back to a self-supporting life.

Hello!! , my name is "Roberto Coballes" and I was a former "client" , but? I am now a "student" at the "STAR OF HOPE MISSIONS"- "SCHOOL OF MINISTRY".."Praise!! "GOD"!!" I will try to give it to you "short" and "straight"!!

Since the age of "13" all I ever did was "use" and "sell" drugs!!- ( DEATH ) to the "world" , I was some would say : "A perfect soldier for the devil".. And I come to find out after "27-years" of living in that "world" that they were telling the "truth"!! In "those-years" and in my "understanding" of what I "thought" was "life" , all I was "really" doing was creating "DEATH" and "DESTRUCTION" in the lives of all of "GOD's" creations- ( PEOPLE ).. I was not "concerned" with the lives of "others" and I was also "blinded" with so much "selfish-abitions".. Eventually I got "lost" in that "world" , and found myself losing it "all' slowly!! but surely!! My friends , family , the mother of my kids- ( to a "CRACK-COCAIN" addiction ) and then my "kids"???

It took "GOD" to "extract" me from that "world" and then "graft" me into "HIS" kingdom!! It was "GOD" that lead me to the "STAR OF HOPE MISSIONS" in a way that would take me a while to "explain"??? But I thank "HIM" for pulling me out of that "world" of "DARKNESS" and drawing me into "HIS" marveless "LIGHT"- ( "CHRIST" ). I thank "HIM" for allowing me to "experience" what "TRUE-LOVE" for "one-another" means?? , and for allowing me to "see" it for myself in "all" that takes place at the "STAR OF HOPE" , in all the "STAFF-MEMBERS" who "practice what they preach" and they teach the "WORD" of "GOD" .. "CHRIST" is at the center- ( HEART ) of all the is taught , shown , counseled , guided , and directed!! "Biblical-Counseling" , " 12-Steps , and many other classes are "vital" to the "RENEWING OF OUR MINDS" - ( our ways of "thinking" ) . And having the "RIGHT-STAFF" to teach us these courses was already "provided" by "GOD". Thank "YOU" - ("GOD" ) for all that you have "allowed" and for all that "YOU" will "DO" in "all" of our "futures" in "CHRIST-JESUS" our "LORD" and "SAVIOR"...."AMEN".....

Before I served on the Star of Hope Board I emceed several of their fundraisers and attended many of their awesome and INSPIRING client graduations! My lord the Star of Hope staff are angels sent to help pull our brothers and sisters out of the pit they somehow ended up in. As Jesus never judged the sinner, The Star of Hope is committed to following his approach thru their incredible programs. The programs help the client acknowledge the sin, address it, learn from it and by the time the program is over SOH clients are filled with God's spirit to the point where they sin no more and can begin their new lives shame-free! I've seen it - what a blessing to the clients AND the community!

I have been a program evaluator for Star of Hope for over a decade. I work with several non-profits in Texas, particularly homeless shelters and transitional housing providers, and Star of Hope is by far the best organization with which I have worked. They work is cutting edge and compassionate in dealing with a very difficult population. Their family programs address the all the needs of the every family member -- physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual and financial -- in helping them to recover from homelessness, poverty, and in most cases physical, sexual and/or substance abuse.

Star of Hope is a fantastic, very well-run organization that has been helping Houston's homeless for over 100 years. Their guiding principle is that the ultimate solution to homelessness is 2-fold: a regenerative relationship with Jesus Christ, in whom clients can find hope for the future and strength to overcome, and education to improve their job skills and employment opportunities. Star of Hope's programs are renowned in the Houston community for their effectiveness and reach. Each year, thousands of men, women and children are enjoying new life and new hope because of the work that Star of Hope does.