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Mission Moment
A guest at Star House was recently on the verge of ending her time of homelessness when she applied for an apartment. Unbeknownst to her, she had an outstanding bill with AEP, possibly due to her personal information being stolen. Thanks to Star House’s Housing FLEX Fund, supported by Anthem, the young woman was able to clear up that electric bill, which led to her getting approved for the apartment. The FLEX Fund also provided rental assistance and the security deposit.
COVID-19 Update
An Update on COVID-19
While the world continues to face an unprecedented challenge with COVID-19, Star House continues to provide services to one of Central Ohio’s most vulnerable populations. Due to the pandemic, we have adopted temporary service hours from 7 p.m. to 11 a.m. We are still able to provide youth with critical medical, mental health and food services. For instance, our therapy and case management services are available to guests 24/7. In addition, while we have asked our housed guests (who can typically access Star House up to six months after being housed) to stay home during this time, we have increased outreach activities in the community to ensure they are safe and we continue to provide them with essential resources (food, case management, mental health services, etc.). We are hopeful that we will be able to return to our normal operating hours soon. To learn more about how we are keeping Star House safe, please visit this page. Check back often as it is regularly updated.
Special Thanks
COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving situation that has presented challenges for many organizations. We would like to give a special thank you to United Way of Central Ohio and The Columbus Foundation for their long-term support, as well as the vital support they have provided during COVID-19. We are so appreciative.
News & Events
The Spirit of Columbus Award
On April 17, Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, was recognized as the recipient of The Columbus Foundation's 2020 Spirit of Columbus Award. We would like to thank The Columbus Foundation for making a generous donation to Star House in Dr. Acton's honor! You can learn more about the award and donation here.
On April 29, advocates across the country came together to recognize #TrueColorsDay, an international day of action and advocacy focused on LGBTQ youth homelessness. The day also served as an important opportunity to show appreciation for homelessness service providers.Did you know that LGBTQ young people are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth? Or that 40% of youth experiencing homelessness in the United States are LGBTQ? To learn more or to get involved, go here.
Program Updates
Anthem's Housing FLEX Fund Continues to Change Lives
Star House’s Housing FLEX Fund, supported by Anthem, lifts Star House guests out of homelessness by covering housing application fees, security deposits, first month’s rent, utility/rental arrears, essential furniture, utility connection fees, short-term rental assistance, partial rent for a number of months, and more. Since last year, 26 Star House guests (and their family members) have received assistance from the FLEX Fund. We are happy to report that all of Star House’s FLEX Fund recipients have maintained their housing.
Carol Stewart Village
Star House and Finance Fund are partnering to transform two blighted motels, situated on four acres in Franklinton, into 100 below-market-rate studio apartments. Youth, ages 18-24, will have on-site access to education and transitional employment; resources like mental and physical health care and transportation; and intentional social connections through mentoring and opportunities to engage in the Franklinton community. Demolition of the property is complete, and we anticipate that construction of Phase I, the first 64 housing units, will be finalized in mid-2020.
Donor & Partnership Spotlight
We would like to give a big shout out to Nationwide Children's Hospital for ensuring that guests at Star House have access to health care during COVID-19. Thank you for your continued support during this difficult time.
In this time of great need, Noble Cut Distillery recently pivoted their production from alcohol to hand sanitizer. We are grateful that they decided to donate some bottles to Star House!
The Human Service Chamber of Franklin County has helped Star House, and other member agencies, make crucial connections during this unprecedented time. We would like to thank Middle West Spirits for manufacturing sanitizer for Star House and The Columbus Foundation for taking care of the expense!
A huge thank you to L Brands for their generous donation of water bottles, salad cups, and drawstring bags! We appreciate their continued support throughout this pandemic.
Monetary Donation
Now more than ever, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Star House would benefit greatly from discretionary general operating funding. Please consider making a monetary donation to Star House.
Item Donations
Thanks to everyone who has reached out to offer support and assistance to Star House during this difficult time. While we can no longer accept in-person drop-off donations from individuals (until further notice), we can accept new items via retailers like Amazon, Target or Walmart that are delivered through the mail. Access our Amazon Wishlist below. In addition, if you would like to support Star House youth who have recently moved into a new apartment, check out housed-specific list below.
Donate from our Amazon Wishlist Donate from our Amazon Housed Wishlist Link your Kroger Plus Rewards Card to Star House
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