Star House ~ Drop In Shelter for Homeless Youth Need

Drop-In Center For Homeless Youth Loses Funding

Refuge For Homeless Teens In Jeopardy

Lee, Candice. NBC4, Aug. 15, 2011.


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Somewhere in Columbus there's quiet street on which an unsuspecting house sits.

Some of Central Ohio’s homeless youth go there to escape life on the streets.

Shelby Clark has been going there for a year now.

"My parents passed away. I couldn't afford to rent where I was staying. So I decided to come down here and kind of been here ever since," Clark said.

The OSU Star House began as a research project in 2006. But the grant money ran out in June 2011.

With just enough funding to stay open until December 2011, the push is on to garner community support.

Jeana Patterson serves as the program coordinator. She says the home is an oasis for homeless youth between the ages of 14 and 24.

"The only thing we require of them is to sign in. They can use the computer in 30-minute intervals. We also have computers upstairs if they were doing something productive such as a resume, a school application or FAFSA form," Patterson explained.

Teens and young adults who go to Star House are guaranteed hot meals, a place to shower and a place to wash clothes.

The staff, made up of OSU students majoring in social work, help them sign up for social services, get medical treatment and even find a job or place to live.

More importantly, the youth who come to Star House establish relationships with other teens and build social skills.

The house is also a safe haven from those who try to exploit young people living on the streets.

Those who come to Star House come for different reasons.

"There's foster care displacement, choosing to be homeless because home is not stable, and sometimes they've tried their hand at independence and they failed -- like a lot of us do," Patterson said.

It takes $150,000 a year to keep Star House up and running.

Donations of food, clothing, and toiletries help with costs.

Its services will be missed if the program were to shut down.

"The staff is really cool. They're really nice and friendly. They make you feel like you're at home. They make you feel like there's somebody that actually cares," said 18-year-old Tyler Harmon.

For more information, go to OSUStarHouse.com/home.html, call Jeana Patterson at 614-432-5406 or email her at jpatterson@ehe.osu.edu