ABOUT STAR OF HOPE
Located in Houston, Texas, Star of Hope serves as both a homeless shelter and a faith-based, residential treatment provider for homeless individuals struggling with chemical dependency. Through its two facilities, the Women & Family Development Center and the Men’s Development Center, the organization offers gender-specific, long-term residential treatment for homeless women and mothers with young children, as well as a residential program and transitional program for men. The facilities do not provide medical detoxification services.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Upon intake, individuals may undergo an initial evaluation to ensure the residential program can appropriately address the client’s needs. According to the facility’s website, the Women and Family Development Center’s program offers treatment from 30 days to 18 months, depending on the individual’s needs, while the men’s program consists of six months of intensive programming followed by a one-year transitional program.
Star of Hope’s residential programs are designed to assist chronically homeless individuals struggling with chemical dependency through evidence-based and faith-based treatment approaches, vocational rehabilitation, and spiritual growth.
During residential treatment, clients participate in a structured schedule of process groups, relapse prevention workshops, and substance abuse education classes. According to its website, Star of Hope also incorporates a Christian-based, 12-step program (Alcoholics Victorious) into overall programming. Clients may attend 12-step meetings, study fellowship literature, and perform associated “step-work.” Mothers may also participate in parenting classes and parent/child interaction sessions.
As a faith-based program, treatment also emphasizes spiritual development as a crucial component to recovery. While participating in the residential program, clients attend regular church services, participate in Bible studies, and receive spiritual counseling. According to the Star of Hope’s website, men also learn a “Christian work ethic” through a work therapy component of treatment.
To prepare residents for successful independent living, residents participate in a range of activities to promote career development, including computer classes. Star of Hope’s “Men at Work” program is divided into two 90-day phases. In the first phase, men focus on cultivating life and vocational skills, while the second phase includes the aforementioned work therapy component. Men donate several hours of their day working as a maintenance team to ensure the upkeep and cleanliness of the facility.
Throughout the residential program, residents are given instruction in a variety of work disciplines, including warehouse operations, culinary arts, horticulture, and other marketable skills, as well assistance in locating other job training and educational opportunities. Once a male resident graduates to the year-long transitional program, they are required to seek and obtain full-time employment. If necessary, a skills coordinator can assist the resident with job searches and cultivating relationships with employers.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Star of Hope is staffed by a multidisciplinary team comprised of social workers, specialized case managers and coordinators, residential support staff, and volunteers.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The Women and Family Development Center can accommodate up to 50 families and 180 single women. To support mothers, the facility offers a state-licensed children’s program that provides on-site child care, preschool, after-school activities, and homework assistance. The Men’s Development Center can accommodate up to 300 men. Facilities offer three meals daily, showers, basic toiletries, and changes of clothes.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
While Best-rehabs.com has yet to receive alumni feedback to date, secondary sources revealed polarizing opinions among alumni for the organization as a whole. On Google reviews, 45 individuals gave the facility an average rating of 2.8 out of five stars. [1] While some appreciated the facility’s faith-based approach, others cited the program’s rigorous schedule and the conditions of the facility as weaknesses. “They have great meals, but they have grueling system,” one representative reviewer wrote. However, alum Frank wrote: “I was there In 2006, gave me time to get a job.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The sole loved one polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing generally approved of the facility. Out of five stars, the loved one gave perfect five-star ratings for the treatment staff’s level of experience and training, the cleanliness and upkeep of the facility, and the facility’s counseling options. “Strengths Included one-on-one attention and superior counsel,” the loved one wrote. However, they did suggest that the facility could improve with discharge planning.
FINANCING
As an organization that treats and supports homeless individuals, Star of Hope does not charge individuals for its treatment services.
[1] Source: Google Reviews