Star House Offers Services To Homeless Columbus Youth

Each day hundreds of homeless young people roam the streets of Columbus looking for shelter from the cold and something to eat. But facilities for homeless minors are limited in the city. WOSU's Marilyn Smith takes us to a place near Ohio State where young people can stay during the day, get a hot meal and wash up. When the east side apartment building in which Kimberly Whitcomb was living burned down, the 20 year old had no place to go. Then she heard about Star House. "It's really nice here. You can eat here. You can sleep here. You can bathe here. I never knew about the Star House until just now, a couple days ago." Star House is the only drop-in resource center in Columbus for homeless young people from the ages of 14 to 24. They can wash their clothes, have access to a computer or get help writing a resume. Program Coordinator Jeana Patterson says half of Star House patrons report being physically or sexually abused as a child and half say they were victims of violent crime during the past year. In addition to offering a safe place and food the staff also provides emotional support for the up to 40 young people who come to Star House each day. "Not all of our youth deal with mental health but a great deal of them do. And more of being disconnected and lonely and emotional support is huge in building that connection." To that end, Patterson says the staff expects a few house rules to be followed. "We tell them that keep them safe, keep us safe and keep the house operating. Really there's not too much except respecting themselves and each other." Located on Fourth Street east of the Ohio State campus, Star House opened in 2006 as part of a federally funded effort to help get homeless kids off the streets. Last year the program served more than 400 homeless young people. Patterson says more will visit this year. One recent visitor is Tswana Robinson. At eighteen and eight-and-a half months pregnant she was falling through the cracks. "I was living with my dad's ex-girlfriend but it wasn't like a good environment to live because I have my baby on the way. So my boyfriend told me about the shelter and they said they would help me get my own place. But then they said it's going to be kinda hard because since I'm pregnant I can't really get a job right now and I have no income." But Robinson sees her situation as temporary. She has big plans for the future. "Got back in school this Monday. And I'm starting school. I'm a senior in high school. So I plan on graduating and going to college." For 21 year old Florida native Steven Pidgeon the future is not as clear. "I grew up in foster care. I moved up here for a job I was doing. Unfortunately, I lost that job so I've been stuck up here for about a year now." Star House is not a shelter and currently lacks the funding and staff to stay open at night. So Pidgeon and the others must find another place to sleep. But staying in a shelter, Pidgeon says can be challenging. "Some of the people who come there, it is full of drama. People that are mentally ill and everything. It's hectic. They're always understaffed; underfunded. And trying to get things done is like trying to pull teeth from a lion." Patterson understands what Pidgeon is going through. She's been there. "I was a homeless, emancipated minor in Franklin County myself while I was still in high school. We didn't have this resource. It would have been very beneficial to me." Patterson says helping young people stay off the streets is just as important as getting them off the streets. Founder, OSU human ecology professor Natasha Slesnick, hopes one day to make Star House a 24/7 drop-in facility.  In the meantime, a group of volunteers has stepped up to staff Star House at night during the month of March.