Shon, a frequent visitor to STAR House valued the staff and services of this youth drop-in homeless shelter. Shon said his life was saved while faithfully served by the center after he was assualted for his homosexuality.

Operating since 2006 as part of a research grant obtained by Natasha Slesnick, a professor in Ohio State’s College of Education and Human Ecology, the OSU STAR House was initially designed as a way to evaluate the most effective strategies for helping homeless youth (ages 14-24) find stability and success in re-entering mainstream society.

” We really want this to be a place where youth can come and treat it kind of like their house,” Sawyer,  a graduate student in social work who moonlights as a monitor here at the youth drop-in homeless shelter said. “We want them to be able both to meet their basic needs and have a place to relax. Their life is really stressful out there, sleeping on the streets and in the shelters. This is a nice place for them to come and get away from the chaos for a while.”  Read more