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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