StarVista
Helping All Ages and Stages Through Life's Challenges
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health concerns, and relationship and communication issues are some of the biggest challenges individuals and families in San Mateo County are facing. Rates of youth suicide, suicidal ideation and self-harm are on the rise. Local schools are requesting clinical services in greater amounts. As the cost of living in our County continues to rise, young adults are struggling to earn a living wage, meet their educational goals, and find stable, affordable housing. Parents are often working multiple jobs just to afford basic family needs, and as a result, struggling to be present and emotionally available for their children. The need for mental health care and resources continues to grow, and many who need help aren't able to afford or access the help they need. StarVista is committed to building solutions that address these issues and empowering individuals from all walks of life to find their best future.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Children's Place
Breaking the cycle of addiction through education and counseling. We teach children of addicted parents about drug and alcohol dependency and help them learn healthy coping and safety skills, build their self-esteem, and realize they are not alone.
Counseling Center
Affordable counseling services for children, adolescents, adults, and families, covering relationship issues, behavioral concerns, depression/anxiety, life transitions, peer conflicts, homework stress, self-esteem, and more. Clients learn new coping strategies, change negative patterns, and improve parenting skills.
Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center (CISPC)
Provides education and crisis intervention services for schools, online teen support and chatroom, alcohol and drug helpline, parent support hotline, and San Mateo County's only 24-hour crisis hotline.
Daybreak
Structured 12-month program provides transitional housing, independent living skills training, and mental health support for homeless teens aged 16-21.
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Community Team strives to foster healthy cognitive, emotional and social development for children prenatal through five, by identifying difficulties and providing assessments and interventions for families.
First Chance
A first step toward recovery for first-time offenders. Outpatient Services provides substance abuse treatment, education, and case management for non-violent simple drug possession offenders. The Sobering Station is a 24-hour program for persons arrested for driving under the influence or public intoxication.
Foster Youth Education Enrichment Services (FYEES)
FYEES provides one-on-one, strength-based case management and coaching services, in collaboration with caregivers, social workers, education liaisons and community partners, to support the academic achievement of foster youth from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Healthy Homes
Serves families with children birth through age 5 who are facing stressors, striving to prevent child abuse and neglect, enhance the parent-child relationship, and reduce the impact of risk factors such as domestic violence, trauma, poverty, immigration, food insecurity, substance abuse, mental illness, and language barriers, among others.
San Mateo County Pride Center
Provides a broad range of services and resources to LGBTQ+ individuals and families of all ages, and combines physical and mental health services with community building and educational programming.
School-Based Counseling Services
Provides on-site counseling, mental health services and education to students over 10 years, striving to support students, enhance school performance, and increase engagement in learning.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Children and youth, Families, Substance abusers, LGBTQ people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Results displayed are for the fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). For example, our 2020 results represent July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021.
Percentage of clients engaged in StarVista programs who achieve their primary goal
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
StarVista's mission is to deliver high impact services through counseling, skill development, and crisis prevention to kids, youth, adults and families. We offer prevention, early intervention, education, and counseling resources and services to more than 44,000 people throughout San Mateo County, annually. From substance abuse and thoughts of suicide, to family violence and homelessness, we help people persevere and transform life's toughest situations into personal victories.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our dedicated staff provide resources, guidance, and inspiration to create opportunities for healthier, stronger, more hopeful lives. As one of the largest multi-service non-profit organizations in San Mateo County, we work closely with local governments to fill unmet needs, partner with schools to connect directly with youth, and collaborate with other non-profit organizations to share expertise and best practices. Our staff prides itself on setting a higher standard of care and being open to new, innovative approaches that improve client outcomes. All of our programs are client-focused and strength-based, and our staff are committed to continuously expanding their knowledge to ensure clients receive exceptional care.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
StarVista has been in existence since 1966 and is an acknowledged leader among its peers. The agency's staff of 200+ is composed of seasoned leadership, clinical directors, and highly trained program personnel. StarVista's staff are passionate, reflective of San Mateo County's diverse community, and include individuals from a wide range of demographics, cultures, and life experiences. The agency's robust training infrastructure ensures staff and interns receive ongoing training to develop/maintain skills, expand knowledge, stay abreast of evolving trends and barriers, and ensure clients are receiving exceptional care. StarVista's 13-member board of directors is enthusiastic about the agency's work and actively dedicated to furthering StarVista's mission.
Additionally, the StarVista's nearly 30 programs work together to provide comprehensive support to meet each client's unique needs. For example, a young person seeking transitional housing services through StarVista's Daybreak program may also benefit from crisis intervention services at StarVista's Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center, substance use treatment at StarVista's Insights program, or the broad spectrum of LGBTQ-centered services offered at its San Mateo County Pride Center.
StarVista also draws upon the strong base of partners and collaborators it has cultivated through its 50+ years of service to the community. The agency collaborates with an expansive network of local organizations, schools, service providers, law enforcement and city and county officials to deliver a composite of vital services that aim to fully meet the needs of our community.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 1966, StarVista programs have transformed the lives of children, youth, adults, families and the communities they live in. Through decades of service and growth, StarVista now offers 30 programs whose services span across the entirety of San Mateo County. The agency and its programs are supported through a growing list of funders and a $18M+ diversified funding base. Through 300+ highly trained staff, interns and volunteers, the agency now serves more than 44,000 individuals every year.
Accomplishments over the last few years include:
- Merging with well-respected nonprofit organization, Pyramid Alternatives
- Opening San Mateo County's first LGTBQ+ center (the San Mateo County Pride Center)
- Expanding StarVista's school services to now serve more than 40 schools
- Receiving a new contract to launch a Rapid Rehousing Program for youth in partnership with local community partner, LifeMoves
Looking toward the future, StarVista will continue striving to expand services within its programs and as an agency, in addition to deepening its geological reach throughout San Mateo County and beyond.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
Who are the people you serve with your mission?
StarVista serves individuals of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds, with strong attention to reaching diverse, low-income and underserved populations throughout San Mateo County. Many of the 44,000 individuals that StarVista serves every year are part of San Mateo County’s most at-risk and vulnerable populations, including immigrant families, monolingual Spanish-speaking individuals, homeless youth, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
-
What significant change resulted from feedback?
Feedback from youth served by our Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center indicated that they would feel more comfortable using texting as a platform. The Crisis Center has been developing a youth texting service to meet these needs and it will be launching in early 2021. Client feedback from parents accessing support groups suggested a need for expanded opportunities for Fathers, who desired a space to share challenges and learn effective child-parent communication strategies aligned with to their experiences. Subsequently, Fathers Groups were created and initially served Spanish-speaking fathers. Groups are now offered in both Spanish and English and fathers continue to refer other fathers to the group.
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
StarVista
Board of directorsas of 11/29/2022
Ms. Ken Pesso
Retired Assistant Chief, Probation Officer
Term: 2017 - 2025
Alison Proctor
Seiler LLP
Kristin Sun
Sand Hill Global Advisors, LLC
Roger Toguchi
Consultant
Erick Young
IBM
Ken Pesso
Retired Assistant Chief, Probation Officer
Sheriff Carlos Bolanos
San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
Jeneé Littrell
Student Services, San Mateo County Office of Education
Alina Lloyd
Merrill Lynch Private Banking & Investment Group
Steve Shray
Consultant
Chief Eric Wollman
Burlingame Police Department
Howard Yang
Mark Constant
Franklin Templeton Investments
Ed Barberini
San Bruno Police Department
Stephan Marshall
Coldwell Banker
Fred Shen
Abbott Vascular
Nancy Minnig
SolMateo
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/17/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.