Star of Hope - Men's Development Center

1. 

   Myra

   Mar 4, 2019Reply

   The Star of Hope (SOH) saved my life. Being a non-believer, crippled hands, 9th grade drop-out, high and drunk for over 30 years, SOH saved me. I crawled to SOH in September 2010, dead, blind, and broken. Today, not only do I a GED, I hold a Bachelors Degree in Corporate Communication. I am a leader in my home church and, through a series of surgeries, my hands have been repaired. All of the above tasks were accomplished directly through the grace and mercy of God our Father and The Star of Hope. Forever Grateful!
2. 

   Eris

   Jun 12, 2019Reply

   This is the best place you could ever be. I wish I could go back I never realized how much this establishment was helping me.
3. 

   Liam

   Oct 20, 2019Reply

   Here is the real: this place is VERY Christian. men's center, this is the day: You get rudely woken up at 5am. Morning church before you can eat breakfast. Employees, long term & "program-ers" get in line to eat first, then others/you. You cannot sleep thru church or stay on your bunk/mat. You are forced to the chapel. After breakfast, you go to a main chair area/day room. Shortly after "bed tickets" are handed out for a place to sleep that evening. You then walk out to the lobby and get your checkin bag, if you choose to. After this you walk outside to a holding area (open to sun/rain) and wait in two lines. During this time, most ppl adjust their belongings and get what they want to have with them for the day, some change clothes. Men are called 3 at a time, bags are then rechecked in for next 24 hours. One bag only means you can only have very limited stuff there. Not a place you can come with only the clothes on your back and build up your possessions by any means. When you check in your bag you're given a bed or "overflow"(mat on floor) #. There are 100-200 bunk beds, or you get one of the cot mats. Blanket provided. No pillow. Lunch is served mon-fri except on holidays/ In order to keep your bed, u must be in by 4:15pm or you are not admitted. You can return at 2pm at earliest. You come back and get in line outside near the entrance if you come before 2pm. You are then forced to shower in jail-ish conditions with no privacy. Small stalls up to waist high provide minor modesty. Youre expected to be quick, 4-8 min is the norm. Push button water every 15 sec. Temp is controlled but water is perfectly warm, IMO. You are provided a towel and shower shoes if needed. A chunk of bar soap or squirt of shampoo in your hand if needed. Mon-wed-Fri you can get 1 change of clothes to keep if needed. You ask someone behind a desk and tell them your sizes, there's no shopping lol. I got lucky and got a decent shirt and jeans. After you shower its back to the chair area, where a movie is playing. Usually Christian or PG. No news, no TV. So it's 430 but church doesn't start until 630. But you're trapped in the building and can't go outside. Youre not allowed to use your phone or laptop. Not allowed to roam the building. Waist high stalls in chair area bathroom in case you wanted to hide there and use phone or whatever. You CAN sleep, but only sitting up. There is no laying on floor, across chairs no matter how empty the rows are, or sitting against the walls. This is crazy to me. I watched ppl rudely woken up and was rudely woken up myself. Around 515 dinner is served. Breakfast and dinner are usually decent. 1 out of 4 meals, you get seconds. Around 6-630 ppl start heading to the chapel, no pews, just more hard plastic chairs. Loud Christian of all types blares thru a decent sound system. Much of it is actually decent, by Christian music standards. Dude who chooses the music is truly trying. During this time you can be in the chair area or chapel. Some read the newspaper near the chapel in the dining area. Around 715-730, you are forced to the chapel and bathrooms are actually locked. Youre forced to a Christian service no matter your beliefs. You are ordered to stand during prayer and reading of the Bible passages at the start. Also for any guest preachers prayers and ending prayer. Forced to attend. Forced to stand. No choice. Very cultish, if you ask me. Donations are solicited by passing of collection plates, odd, given those in attendance are only staff, long-term cult members (jk "program-ers"/dorm guys) and homeless seeking shelter. This is over at 830. At this time, most staff and dorm guys leave and homeless get in lines to go to beds. Overflow and first timers stay seated and get mats when they leave. You can finally lay down around 9-915. The next morning it all repeats. Very restrictive. AC is kept cold. Good in Houston. Food is good. Ppl are well behaved or cops called. If you don't sign on for the program or devout Christian, you won't enjoy it here
4. 

   Gary

   Dec 11, 2019Reply

   This is a horrific place. So called "Rescue" is a collection of everything from ex felons to genuine down on luck unfortunates. Place is harshly run like a jail maybe worse. Upon arrival, and each time one enters front door, metal detector is required. Sometimes I saw persons set it off twice in row then banned maybe for three days maybe longer thus left outside regardless of weather and tempreture. All are awakened at 4 30 am via shouting plus harsh lightening just snapped on. From 4 30 till 7 am all sit in chapel on uncomfortable red plastic chairs. Very loud gospel music is roared out of speakers from about 6 30am till 7 am. This is followed by forced chapel till 7 15am. Rows starting from back are called one row at a time to line up for what is called breakfast. If youve misplaced your bed ticket you dont eat! Typical breakfast be large spoonfull of grits same portion of scrambled eggs maybe a biscut or two silver dollar sized pancakes sugar syrup n if fortunate two strips of either undercooked or overcooked bacon. Not very much n no seconds. Staff of course, most whom be if not all ex felons, get as much as they desire to eat n I assure you their bacon is cherry picked. Absolutely no basic condements are available nor napkins available. You use just a fork or spoon depending what is made available. After breakfast you get a new bed ticket then line up to get your checked baggage (one piece per person only). Once youve got your bad outside you go to stand in line inside of cinder blocked pen. Usual wait for all rescue till persons are called, five at a time usually, is maybe 45 mins before you can recheck bags. Afterwhich, the time is about 8 30 am, your put outside to do whatever till 2 pm. Then line up in the pen to enter, again called 5 at a time, to get your bed number checked, go through metal detector, then have bed number checked twice more on way to what these savages term showers. Once in shower area usually small hotel size bars of cheap soap made available n maybe three to five days a week you can get tiny travel bottle of various shampoo. Community deorderant available most but not all times for use. Showers are nozzles that shoot jet streams of water only temp varies from kinda warm to ice cold or a degree or so from scalding. Shower time limited to about 4 to 5 mins. Your issued a t shirt or dress type shirt to dry with no genuine towels. Fresh....or what they claim to be....clothing, very worn out stuff n your fortunate if you can find proper size, is issued three days, every other day, out a the week. Fresh underwear being hardest to get. After this uplifting experience, you can sit in hard red plastic chairs in day room till 5 pm or go back outside reenter at maybe 5 30 pm. Dinner usually consist of chicken quarter or more often some noodle, tasteless trash with large spoonfull of almost expired unseasoned mixed veggies or the limpist broccoli imaginable. Piece of some form of dry bread no butter. Always water to drink every so called meal. Everyone in by 6 pm or locked out for night again regardless of weather or tempreture. From 6 till 7 30 you listen to ear spilitting music of terrible gospel selections n see videos of such then from 7 30 till about 8 15 listen to so called preachers expelling gospel in usually loud fast talking voice. Now if you were lucky enough to get a bed, which consist of raw plastic mattress, your called by bed number groups where you choose either a thin so called blanket or part of a sheet to sleep with- only one! No pillows....lights out at 10 pm as those fortunate enough to buy from vending machine some snack are eating n gabbing till 10. No outside food or drink allowed anytime no use or charging of cell phones anytime of face being banned. Staff.....staff is busy on one hand claiming all be brothers n all are loved but mostly wont talk to anyone, unless some perceived rule is violated, whereupon they ride your ass n if you look sideways at em out the door you usually go- permanently!! Place is horrible food substandard n inadequate staff pushy commanding unhelpful....Oh forgot to mention bed bugs n lice. Nothing to recommend other then stay away!!!!!@
5. 

   Eric

   Jul 4, 2020Reply

   I’ve been there as a rescue. It wasn’t all that bad for me being put out after breakfast because I had a job. Thank to SOH I didn’t sleep on the streets. I plan to contribute to the ministry

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