The STAR Center provides Support, Technical Assistance and Resources to assist consumer-operated and consumer-helper programs in meeting the needs of under-served populations.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General's report, Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity 2001, mental health service disparities exist within the Hispanic American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, African American, Native American and Alaskan Native communities.

The STAR Center recognizes that these same disparities, within the communities identified by the report, also exist amongst consumer-operated and consumer-helper programs. The STAR Center works to eliminate these disparities so that the under-served communities receive equal access, support to recovery oriented services and self-help that are culturally competent, thus promoting wellness and inspiring hope.

In pursuit of this mission we offer a broad array of technical assistance to consumer operated and peer run programs, leadership trainings, national teleconferences, consumer scholarships-for attendance to the annual Alternatives Conference, national identification of culturally competent consumer operated programs-as part of our Consumer Operated Service Identifier or COSI Project, and an online Cultural Resource Directory.

The STAR Center is funded by a grant from the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Please visit our partner TA Centers:

• Depression Bipolar Support Alliace (DBSA)
• National Consumer-Supporter Technical Assistance Center
• NEC (National Empowerment Center)
• National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse