ABOUT US

We are located in Charlottesville, Virginia and have been have been serving at-risk youth since 1997. We currently have four homes throughout the community with the capacity to serve up to sixteen girls and fifteen boys. Children come to STARS from all parts of Virginia, referred by local Departments of Social Services, Family Assessment Planning Teams, local school systems, legal guardians, and other treatment facilities.  The average contract length of stay for a resident is six months; however, this varies according to each individual's needs. Some residents live at STARS for years, while others may stay only a few months. 

The purpose of STARS is to provide a group home for at-risk adolescents who are in need of learning life skills and age-appropriate independent living skills, while in a safe and therapeutic environment.  The program is centered on trauma and attachment informed care, reality therapy principles and emphasizes a percentage and privilege system to help motivate the resident’s growth and success.

Our facility accesses services for adolescents within the community, with the idea of building a strong support system for each teen while they are in the program that will continue to be available to them after transitioning back to their family or to an independent living setting.  The program has many standard components that include education, employment, therapy, etc. ; however, each resident will work from a service plan that is tailored to their special needs and situations.  Each youth plays a unique and valuable role in this family-like group, having specific responsibilities; and while each resident is encouraged to stay focused on their goals, consideration for others within the home is strongly reinforced. We teach the importance of both self-development and teamwork because, from our experience, we have seen that the most progress is usually made when the group is acting cohesively. Residents are supervised while they are at the facility, but all of our teens have a chance to practice independence throughout their time in the program. 

MEET THE TEAM

Kara Gloeckner,

Program Director

“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”

~ Mother Theresa

Amanda Roy,

Program Director

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you

know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.”

~ Dr. Seuss

Samantha Brandl,

Case Manager

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what

they are capable of being.”

~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Nat Carrington,

Staff Supervisor

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

~ Maya Angelou

Chris Cochran,

Evening Shift Supervisor

“It's the possibility of having a dream come

true that makes life interesting.”

~ Paulo Coelho

Natasha Hughes, 

Overnight Shift Supervisor

“Educating the mind without educating

the heart is no education at all.”

~ Aristotle

Alegra Jordan, 

Day Shift Coordinator

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

~ Robert Frost

Jason Martin, 

Employment Coordinator

“Be stubborn about your goals,

and flexible about your methods”

~ anonymous

SERVICES

Basic Needs

Daily Transportation to Appointments

Religious Practices Supported

Voucher Shopping

Education

Academic Assistance and Support

Contact with Educational Providers

Employment

Assistance in Gaining Employment

Employment Skill-Building through Interviewing, Gaining and Maintaining Employment

Supervision of Savings Account

Groups

Coordination of Recreational Activities

Daily Morning Meetings

Daily Evening Reflection and Goal Setting Meetings

Weekly Activity Meetings

Instructional Groups, Mentoring and Support on a Variety of Independent Living Skills, such as:

Community Resources

Educational and Career Planning

Emergency and Safety

Food Management

Health and Sexuality

Housekeeping

Housing

Job Maintenance

Job Seeking

Legal

Leisure Activity Planning

Personal Appearance and Hygiene

Money Management and Consumer Awareness

Social Skills

Transportation

​

Medical

Administration of Medications

Coordination and Oversight of All Healthcare and Communication with Providers

Supervision and Service Planning

24-Hour Supervision While on Facility Property

Case Management

Communication with Placing Agency and Support Agencies

Development of Service Plan and Monthly Reviews

Therapeutic Interventions

ACES/Resilience Assessment

Coordination of Family Therapy (As Needed)

Coordination of Individual Therapy

Developing and Maintaining Healthy Relationships

Identifying Triggers and Building Coping Skills

Trauma & Attachment Informed Care Staff Team

One-on-One Staffing Arranged Based on Child's Needs

PROGRAM INFO

RESIDENT HANDBOOK

Download Resident Handbook

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Download Program Info

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