Cherrie Homer, a 56-year-old woman from Oklahoma City, navigates a tumultuous path marked by addiction, incarceration and homelessness. She recently began attending Sanctuary Women’s Development Center in Oklahoma City and is on a journey of physical and spiritual healing.
Overcoming Addiction and Incarceration Cherrie's battle with addiction began in her early twenties. She and her siblings were exposed to crack cocaine, marijuana and alcohol at an early age. Eventually, she fell into a cycle of crack addiction beginning in 1989 that lasted for decades.
“When I turned 22 or 23 I got caught up in the streets,” she recalls. “I was doing drugs for about 25 to 30 years.”
Her addiction led to numerous incarcerations, including a significant period from 2001 to 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia for forgery and check fraud. Her turning point came in 2014 when she decided to quit cold turkey after becoming increasingly paranoid, but soon feel into another cycle of addiction.
“I was clean for two years until I got into a relationship with a man in 2016 and he was on ice,” she explains. “I knew he was on ice but I didn’t think I would get caught up doing it because ice was not my drug of choice.”
Cherrie prayed to God to help her get out of the relationship and off drugs even if it meant going to prison. God answered her prayers in 2018 when she was arrested again and sent to the Eddie Warrior Correctional Facility in Taft, Oklahoma, a period she now sees as a divine intervention that allowed her to reset her life. Though Cherrie never attended church during her addiction, she never lost her faith in God.
“I used to sit on my bed in prison and write down about 300 to 400 affirmations,” she recalls smiling. “They would say things like, ‘God is good and God loves you’ and have a smiley face on the side and I would just give them out all the time.”
Not everyone in prison was receptive to that kind of inspiration, leading Cherrie to feel like she sometimes had no one to connect with at the facility.
“They didn’t deal with me but that was all right,” she remembers.
She completed the Helping Women Recover treatment program, earning a graduate certificate, and still occasionally reaches out to the program's facilitator, Ms. Moore, who made a significant impact on her life.
Finding Her Calling and Battling Setback Since graduating from the program, she’s faced numerous obstacles in securing stable employment and housing. She’s learned she cannot receive Section 8 housing assistance because of her criminal record, another challenge case managers must hurdle.
She recalls “finding her calling” at The Recovery Center (TRC) in Oklahoma City where she worked as a recovery tech in 2007 after completing drug court at the time. At TRC, she found fulfillment in helping others overcome their struggles with addiction, a reflection of her own aspirations to aid those battling similar demons.
“I loved that job, oh I loved it,” she recalls fondly. “People came there to try and get their lives together. We would talk to them, help them clean up and get showers. I loved it.”
Despite her passion for her role at TRC, she was laid off in 2008 due to funding cuts and began doing drugs, again, a year later. Even with her unwavering belief that better opportunities are on the horizon, the lack of employment opportunities due to her situation, makes job hunting bring her to tears.
“It makes me cry but I’m happy because the journey that God got me on is going to be a beautiful journey,” Cherrie says as she wipes the tears from her face. “I need things like dressy pants and professional clothes, which I don’t have. I’m not crying because I’m sad, I’m crying because I’m happy and I have a long way [to go].”
Throughout her struggles, Cherrie has maintained a strong faith in God, which has been a cornerstone of her resilience. Her faith has not only helped her stay clean but also given her a vision for the future. She dreams of opening a transitional house for women in her grandmother’s old home, where she sometimes returns for comfort and sleeps on the front porch. Inspired by her own experiences and her work at TRC, she envisions using this house to help others.
“Yes, Lord, it’s been a long road. But I’m here, and I thank God for it. He gave me another day to wake up.”
To learn how you can help women like Cherrie in Sanctuary who are actively and determinedly trying to improve their lives, consider sponsoring our Reds, Whites & Brews event next month.