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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Life is a journey marked by highs and lows, and the clients at CU at Home in Champaign, including Elizabeth Campbell and Alex Coker, are intimately familiar with both the trials and triumphs.
“I faced homelessness, struggled with drug addiction, and had numerous run-ins with the law,” Campbell shared. “I was in a hopeless place, having lost custody of my children due to my addiction, and was essentially on a path of self-destruction.”
Coker battled similar demons with substance abuse.
“I got involved with the wrong crowd and ended up in jail 20 times,” he recounted.
However, that last stint in jail was a turning point for him. It was there that he recognized the need for a fresh start, which led him to the Champaign County drug court as a path to recovery.
“I was seen, heard, and understood by a public figure who was putting his faith in me. They were giving me a chance,” Coker said.
That was the catalyst he and Campbell knew they needed, as it marked the start of a new opportunity through CU at Home.
“I have a guy who helps me budget. I didn’t know what that looked like because I was just living one day to the next,” she said. “I have a case manager who taught me how to be able to trust a man again.”
Coker credits Cedar King, one of the organization’s case managers, for playing a pivotal role in his change.
“If I didn’t have CU at Home, I don’t think I would have made it,” he added.
Now, Coker is taking pre-apprenticeship classes and working to secure his own apartment.
Campbell is taking classes through Parkland College, hoping to be a social worker one day.
“Every day, trying to piece my life back together. I’ve rebuilt my relationship with my parents,” she added.
In fact, she’s most thankful for finding her family again and making holiday memories with her parents for the first time in a decade.
For both, it’s ‘onward and upward,’ building life from the ground up once again.
CU at Home clients, board members and other staff members will be at One Winter Night on Feb. 6 in Downtown Champaign. You’ll notice people sleeping outside that night, raising money and awareness for Champaign County. For more details, or to sign up, click here.