beliefs to gain employment and lead healthy, pro- ductive, and spiritually rich lives. Once residents graduate from programs they have chosen at Star of Hope and are back at work again, they will be able to move across campus into one of 187 new, permanent, supportive housing apartments provided by Houston’s award-winning New Hope Housing, Inc. The core purpose of this nonprofit is to provide life-stabilizing, affordable, permanent housing with support services for people who live on very limited incomes. This beautiful new property is under construction now, and an additional 500 people will be able to live on the east side of Cornerstone Community and continue in the supportive environment of the campus as they work to truly end their homelessness. Star of Hope has also partnered with Buckner International to build a new Buckner Family Hope Center directly across the street from New Hope Housing Inc. The services provided here will be geared toward keeping families together by provid- ing them with critical services, aid, and coaching to help them stay strong. In addition, they will provide free after-school and weekend activities, plus other family services to those living at New Hope Hous- ing. Buckner broke ground on this property in February 2017, and it will open late in 2017. Houston’s public transportation system, METRO, has added enhanced bus service for Star of Hope’s Cornerstone Community, which will pro- vide access to the north/south light rail line. This will provide mobility to the Texas Medical Center, midtown, and downtown employment centers. Over the next few years, other partnering organ- izations will co-locate with Star of Hope on the pad sites at the front of the Cornerstone Community campus to provide additional services to on- campus residents and residents of Houston’s Sunnyside community nearby. Hope for Lifelong Change C ornerstone Community and its New Pathways residents will be encouraged to achieve the following outcomes: (1) 50 percent of total clients will choose to enter at least one of Star of Hope’s on-site programs after their initial emergency shelter phase, and (2) 60 percent of these residents will achieve independent living with a steady income within one year, for them- selves and their families. Undergirding all of this are the programs and services that are designed to lead Cornerstone Community residents out of homelessness; this is a further fulfillment of the founders’ vision from God when they formed Star of Hope Mission. “We want Star of Hope’s Cornerstone Commu- nity to be a refuge and place of hope for all single women and families who are lost and hurting in our city,” Hank says. “It will be a place where our clients not only achieve self-sufficiency and inde- pendent living, but also come to know the love and redemptive power of Jesus Christ, so that their lives are forever, eternally changed.” Follow Star of Hope’s Cornerstone Community construction progress at sohmission.org. Ĩ 22 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2017 Vivian is vice president of marketing and com- munications for Star of Hope Mission in Hous- ton. You can email her at vwinslow@sohmission .org. Joe is manager of foundation and corpo- rate relations for Star of Hope. He can be reached at jcayton@ sohmission.org. We want Star of Hope’s Cornerstone Community to be a refuge and place of hope for all single women and families who are lost and hurting in our city.