The Road to Better
How Korrie's Journey in Recovery Led to Gurney's Bend
After years battling addiction, Korrie got clean and gained a whole new mindset. Determined to have a better life, she and her partner, John, who is also in recovery, set out to achieve another dream: owning their own home.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” said Korrie, enjoying the cool spring breeze on her own front porch. “I never thought I’d be able to say, hey, that’s my house! I guess it’s just because of how I used to live.”
How Korrie used to live was a constant struggle and one that took nearly everything from her. At its worst, her addiction cost her precious time with her son, who died years ago, and is something that haunts her every single day.
“That really opened my eyes,” she said. “I knew I had to be better, and I wanted better. I wanted better for myself, and now that I’ve achieved owning my own home, I know I can do it. I keep pushing myself for more!”
Now the manager of The Pantry Shelf, a popular local convenience store, Korrie said the owner once fired her but gave her another chance after she got clean.
“I didn’t see it at the time, but that was a good thing,” Korrie said. “And she’s been with me every step of the way since. Sometimes you don’t know what all is possible until someone shows you. You have to really want it, and you have to keep an open mind.”
And that’s exactly what she did when her partner, John, suggested they buy a home together. After a year and a half of Housing Counseling with the Housing Development Alliance, Korrie and John were able to buy their first home, thanks in huge part to HDA’s funders and donors whose contributions made it possible for the couple to afford the home.
"Having this home has given me a whole new meaning of life. I appreciate anything that anybody gave to this project. I’m sure people don’t even understand what all they’ve done for me and my family. They’ve given us the means to be able to have a home and have a life somewhere that we can call our own.”
As a low-income family, Korrie said she knew that she and John would not have a home of their own without this project. A stepmom to John’s children, Korrie felt it was extremely important to have a home to welcome them to whenever they could be with their dad.
“You know what was more exciting than even walking into the house for the first time?” she said. “Pulling into the driveway! That’s what I said to John and our little girl – y’all, this is our home.”
