C-U at Home

04/03/2026

Dana and Melissa supporting the Illini!
Melissa is a Tennessee fan but we twisted her arm enough that she has converted to the Illini for the weekend (and hopefully Monday)!!!

04/03/2026

We are celebrating a graduation!

Nico has graduated from the Pathways to Progress program and moved into her own apartment yesterday!
During her time with us, Nico became a master gardener through her work with Prosperity Gardens. She completed the Swift program at Parkland and now has her CDL. While at Austin’s Place, Nico rescued a cat now known as Peanut Butter Whisker Biscuit who will be joining her on the road as she drives for her job.

We wish Nico the best of life as she explores this next chapter with her furry co-pilot!

04/02/2026

Thanks to the The News-Gazette for posting our picture in their Illini fan pictures. It's a fun time to be an Illini and we proudly wear our Orange and Blue! The Tennessee T in the photo is for Melissa, our executive director, who is a Tennessee fan. We are hopeful that we can get Melissa to wear the proper shade of Orange for the weekend. Drop a comment below to help encourage Melissa to join us in our Illini celebration!

Staffers at C-U at Home show their Illini pride — and their March Madness brackets.

04/02/2026

Welcome to Thankful Thursday!

Today we are grateful for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Champaign. This congregation has been a faithful supporter of our fundraiser, One Winter Night, - hosting a satellite event for the past three years. This year they raised $10,000 for OWN!

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

C-U at Home: Ending Homelessness ONE PERSON AT A TIME!

04/01/2026

Recover Support Director, Cedar King, talks about relapse and C-U at Home's relapse policy.

03/31/2026

Today we explore Phase 3 of our Pathways to Progress program. Phase 3, Challenge, begins in the ninth month of the program and focuses on maintaining stability, self-sufficiency, and community reconnection. This is an exciting phase because clients have made good progress in stabilizing their lives. The stress of living in crisis has eased and goals that once seemed impossible are now within reach. The hard work is starting to pay off and doors to opportunity are opening!

Using skills developed in Phases 1 and 2, goals for Phase 3 include:
***Update case plan to include higher level goals
***Attend weekly case management meetings
***Continue to address physical, dental and mental health needs
***Secure income/employment or school/training program enrollment
***Set a budget, create a savings plan, and pay program fees (nominal fees collected to simulate paying monthly bills)
***Begin application for housing voucher and begin housing search

Recovery clients work to maintain their sobriety, attend weekly support group meetings and submit weekly drug tests. Drug Court clients work to complete all requirements of that program.

03/27/2026

That's a W! On to Elite Saturday!

03/26/2026

It's Game Day!
CUH staff Susan, Dana, Lisa, and long time volunteer Nancy showing their ILLINI spirit!

Put the coffee pot on, Illini Nation. It's going to be a late night!

03/26/2026

Welcome to Thankful Thursday!

Today we are thankful for Judah-Christian Pre-K students and families who collected paper products for us this week!

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

C-U at Home: Ending Homelessness ONE PERSON AT A TIME!

03/25/2026

As we continue settling into the Mattis Avenue program, we will begin introducing additional classes and recovery-support programming for clients.

Planned Classes and Groups
***Busey Financial Training
Financial literacy training to help clients build budgeting skills, understand banking, and strengthen long-term financial stability.
***OSHA 10 Training
Workforce preparation training that provides clients with an OSHA 10 certification, supporting employment opportunities in construction and related industries.
***NA Meeting
A Narcotics Anonymous meeting will be available to support clients in recovery and provide an additional peer-support option within the community.
***Grow Group
A life-skills and personal development group focused on building stability, personal growth, and forward movement in areas such as relationships, habits, and goal setting.

Recovery Support Groups
***Seeking Safety Group
A structured, evidence-based group that focuses on coping skills for trauma and substance use.
***Living Sober Group
This group will be an ongoing recovery-focused discussion group.

These classes are part of our continued phase-in of programming as the building stabilizes and our client community grows.

C-U at Home: Ending Homelessness ONE PERSON AT A TIME

03/24/2026

Coming into our Pathways to Progress program is a big step – filled with positive possibilities but also lots of uncertainty:
---Will I be safe?
---Will I make friends?
---Will I really be able to change my life?

At a time like this, picking out a set of sheets, a pillow, and a couple of towels goes a long way to reassure a new client that this can truly be a new beginning.

As we begin to take new clients into our Mattis Avenue building, we need essential items (sheets, towels, pillows) for our new residents. We have created an Amazon Wishlist to make it easy to see what items we need – essentials are marked as Most Wanted – register what you are donating and buy online to be delivered.

Here is the link:

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/386FTJ6C09MK8


We will pin this ad to the top of our page so it will be easy to find the link to the Wishlist and announce when the list is updated as needs change.

03/23/2026

It's Game Day!