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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — In the winter months, many homeless shelters report seeing more people coming in their doors looking for help. They want to do what they can when it comes to providing support and housing. Some of that comes through mentoring programs.
Cedar King and Johnathon Goreth connected at CU at Home when Goreth walked through their doors about a year and a half ago. He needed help, and King was the saving grace he didn’t even know he needed.
“I was a substance abuse addict and was homeless living in a truck,” Goreth described.
In 2022, his mindset changed. He didn’t want to live that life anymore and worked up the bravery to walk through CU at Home’s doors.
That’s when he met King, one of the case managers. King is one of the people who steered him in the right direction.
“I think at a big level, we think of people like Bill Gates, or Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, people like that who are enormously successful, and we forget, they had help to get there,” King said.
The two connected through the “Pathways to Progress” mentoring program. It’s an outlet to help people experiencing homelessness get back on their feet and be self-sufficient.
“I’ve gone through a lot of things as far as mental health, and Cedar’s been there to help me through a lot of it,” Goreth said. “I took some time off of work and life to go back to the hospital and Cedar was really supportive through that.”
But, the weekly conversations expanded beyond the tough times too. Goreth and King also regularly bonded over music.
The help inspired Goreth, now he’s in a role similar to King’s.
“Just over the last few months, I’ve gotten a job at Rosecrans. I work at Rosecrans as a unit two specialists who work with clients and inpatient treatment,” Goreth explained.
He said a job like that has been the goal the whole time.
“I get to work hand in hand with people who are going through the same things that I’ve been through — homelessness, recovery, substance abuse issues, mental health issues, and I get to work with them to give back,” he said.
It’s an accomplishment King is proud of.
“Emotionally and mentally I’ve seen him go from somebody who was maybe just, I wouldn’t say scared but just very wary and very cautious, to someone who feels like he can take some risks now,” King said.
Growth like that is something Goreth would’ve never imagined in his wildest dreams.
“It’s an amazing feeling because I never thought that I’d be where I’m at. A lot of that comes from a lot of the help that I got from CU at Home,” Goreth said. “A lot of encouragement. The staff here is fabulous, all the staff made some really good friends and I just never thought that I’d be able to give back on that type of level.”
If you’re struggling right now, his best advice is “don’t give up.” He knows help is out there, and doesn’t want anyone to stop looking for it.
If you want to get in touch with CU at Home, you can visit their website at this link.
