The need for broader solutions for these women and families to truly end their homeless- ness and gain long-term independence remains great. According to the 2015 Point in Time Enu- meration from the Houston Coalition for the Homeless, some of the inadequacies homeless people in the city face include: • Lack of affordable housing. The annual income needed in Houston to make a two- bedroom apartment affordable is $37,480, yet a minimum-wage earner would need to work 100 hours per week to meet that income. • Lack of adequate mental health services. More than 60 percent of 2012 participants in the survey met the definition for mental illness, yet they are not receiving consistent treatment. • Lack of education to secure jobs at a livable wage. Among those studied by Stephen Klineberg, director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, in his annual Houston survey, 37.5 percent of U.S. born African-Americans, 47 percent of U.S. born Latinos, and 71 percent of Latino immigrants report educational attainment of a high school diploma or less. • Issues of domestic violence. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness in Houston. “Obviously, addressing such a complex set of client and community needs will require a new service model—one that is broad, flexible, and comprehensive,” says Hank Rush, president and CEO of Star of Hope Mission. “The traditional model of a single shelter site with multiple services provided by a single organization, while referring clients to other organizations for some services, is not sufficient for the complex demands of a growing and diverse homeless population of single men, single women, and families.” Big Dreams N ow, imagine a community on a 48-acre site, rich with services most needed by those in or near homelessness. Picture a place that offers a full continuum of care with hous- ing for 600 women and children, including emer- gency services, healthcare, and recovery counseling. That is all combined with longer-term educational programs, job skills training opportunities, and job search support. And all of this is provided on campus with nearby community partners. Visualize as well permanent affordable housing initially for 500 and a community center, with programs for educational advancement, after-school programs for youth, daycare, and early childhood education—all free to clients and within this walkable community. This is the portrait of a bold step by Star of Hope to optimize the long-term care and services for 20 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2017 Visualize as well permanent affordable housing initially for 500 and a community center, with programs for educational advancement, after-school programs for youth, daycare, and early childhood education.