Meet the team
Members of staff
Maari Nastari (she/her), CEO
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Maari has worked with the LGBTIQ+ charity sector for over 15 years, including posts at the LGBT Foundation, AKT and Stonewall Housing. In 2021, Maari was appointed Interim-CEO of the Outside Project. The project developed some emergency accommodation for survivors over the COVID-19 pandemic and Maari was tasked with turning this work into a COVID legacy project which is how Star Support was born.
Lorna Flutter (she/they), PA to Maari Nastari and Research Lead
Lorna joined Star Support in March 2023. Their background is in social research and they hold a Sociology Degree and Social Science Research Methods MSc. Lorna has volunteered for LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers network, Newcomers RFSL Stockholm and has worked in disability support.
Taz (she/they), Senior Support Worker
Taz join Star Support in January 2024. Their background is in mental health nursing and have since worked with the LGBTIQ+ charity sector for two decades, across various roles at METRO Charity. This has included developing, managing, and delivering a range of LGBTIQ+ mental health wellbeing and community services, including crisis one-to-one support, domestic abuse, hate crime, suicide and self-harm prevention, advocacy services and weekly therapeutic drop-in support for LGBTIQ+ individuals experiencing mental health issues.
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Job role:
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As the Senior Support worker, Taz has oversight of the work being conducted with survivors including recovery work, group work, and general support work. Taz's role includes regular one-to-one with survivors, focusing on their practical support needs such as financial inclusion, occupation of time and move on and resettlement. Working across Star Refuge and our weekly support group Star Lounge, Taz helps survivors to establish their goals and support plans in a trauma informed, strength-based based and goal orientated way.
Hope (she/her), Trans Domestic Abuse Caseworker
Hope is a postgraduate coaching professional, specialising in gender identity and sexual health. Most recently, Hope worked for Turning Point as a Health and Wellbeing coach, supporting people who were experiencing abuse, issues with chemsex, homelessness and discrimination. In this role, Hope also worked with other agencies, encouraging them to become more trans inclusive. Hope is a staunch advocate for survivors and LGBTIQ+ domestic abuse.
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Job role:
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As the Trans Domestic Abuse Caseworker, Hope works closely with our trans community members, providing specialist support and advocacy. Hope will be providing trans-specific support both at Star Refuge and at Star Lounge. This role is part of our TRANSforming Spaces project, funded by TRANSforming Futures. This project aims to create systemic change for trans and non-binary survivors of domestic abuse by undertaking trans-specific casework and using the subsequent learning from our community to inform new educational resources. This will be used to educate and improve the wider, mainstream domestic abuse and homelessness sectors.
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Survivor board
Our survivor board is made up of LGBTIQ+ community members with lived experience of domestic abuse. Most members of the survivor board have had access to our services, either currently or in the past. The survivor board creates an environment to share their thoughts in a safe and inclusive space. The survivor board is central to the development and growth of our organisation, providing expertise through live experience. The survivor board works with our board of directors on shared work plans to co-produce our work.
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Board of Directors
Our board of directors is made up of people with a wide range of relevant skills and experiences. This includes key areas such as finance, legal, business development, research and operations. ​We currently have a board of six members steering the organisation and is chaired by Maari Nastari, the CEO of Star Support.
Nicola Fleming (she/her)
Nicola’s background is in social work and has experience in the mental health, substance misuse and homelessness sectors. Nicola helped support the mobilisation student programme for the Men's Room, a project working with male sex workers. She has held a safeguarding role for the NSPCC and has worked as a dual diagnosis worker in NHS addiction services. Currently, she works for the NHS in crisis intervention, within a mental health team. Nicola brings expertise around the mobilisation and implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures for Star Support.
Alexandra Haigh (she/her)
Alex is currently a Data Scientist within the Operational Excellence team at Citi. As well as financial expertise, Alex completed a Ph. D. in medical data science where they gained experience in applying for funding and grants. Alex is also currently on the social mobility committee for Citi and is a mentor for Career Ready.
Bella Ferreira (she/her)
Bella brings experience spanning a decade in local government, coupled with a dynamic background as a professional in the NHS. During her 10-year tenure in local government, Bella crafted and implemented policies aimed at providing secure and inclusive housing solutions for diverse communities. Since then, she has spent six years working for the NHS, fortifying her understanding of healthcare dynamics and deepening her empathy for the challenges faced by marginalised groups, including the LGBTIQ+ community. Bella actively participates in the staff network meetings at University College London Hospital focused on shaping training programs and enhancing awareness of the LGBTIQ+ community. Bella brings valuable insights regarding health and housing to Star Support and champions diversity and inclusion.
Sally Goldman (she/her)
Sally is a solicitor specialising in social welfare law with a particular interest in housing. Sally has previously acted as a consultant to Stonewall Housing.
Remi Arnold (they/them)