Homer Became A New Man At MorningStar Mission: Ferak Column

JOLIET, IL - This is a tough week for the family and friends of Homer Warren and the good people who run the MorningStar Mission at 350 East Washington St. The Christmas holidays are almost here. And Homer was one of MorningStar Mission's biggest success stories of 2018. Then, on Tuesday morning, he was found dead at the Mission. He had just turned 43.

Homer's life, though cut short because of a massive heart attack, is a reminder to everyone that it's never too late to make a dramatic change, turn over a new leaf.

In fact, his first-person story was the main story in the Joliet homeless shelter's newsletter, which is called the MorningStar Chronicle.

"My name is Homer. I know what it’s like to be on the streets at Christmas, cold and alone and numbing yourself to forget what day it is. This Christmas, everything has changed because I’m at MorningStar Mission," he wrote.

"Eight years ago I had a wife, three children, and a job as a crane operator. But things were going downhill. My marriage was on the fritz. With the recession there wasn’t as much work, and I started using drugs. My addiction led to the loss of my marriage. Two years later I lost my mom to cancer. She had always been my rock, and I felt angry at God and betrayed by my life. I was too afraid to change. Living on the streets my drug use increased dramatically. I was begging for money and eating out of dumpsters. I felt so degraded, but I was too afraid to change."

Homer Warren's mugshot appeared in the Joliet Patch.

Since 2017, Homer Warren was in the Will County Jail on a number of occasions, usually for multiple counts of being a pedestrian soliciting money on the highway. Other times, he was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia or drugs.

I remember one of my stories about Homer being arrested for panhandling drew a flood of reader comments. Many Joliet Patch readers recognized Homer as being a friendly face who often stood at one of the Interstate 80 exits near Briggs Street.

Homer's last jailhouse mugshot, from April 23, showed a 42-year-old man who looked grimy. His beard was growing wild. His hair wasn't combed. He looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks or months. At the time, the Will County Sheriff's Office arrested Homer for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of controlled substances.

That time, he spent 30 hours in Will County's Jail. He got released around 6 p.m. April 24.

He never went back to jail again.

"One day I saw my ex-wife drive by with my daughter. I hadn’t seen her in years. She leaned out the window and yelled 'I love you, Dad!' That just broke my heart.

"After detox at the hospital I came to MorningStar. I’ve been surrounded by a lot of love and a lot of God. It’s what I needed," Homer reflected in the MorningStar Chronicle's Winter newsletter.

Homer's life underwent a transformation, all thanks to the caring staff at MorningStar.

"They gave me new clothes to replace my tattered ones. They gave me a job in the kitchen where I got to see people smile when I served them food. It was only a few months ago I was in their position," Homer's column pointed out.

Homer got counseling, he spent time in the chapel, he went to classes. He started reading Scripture.

"My favorite verses right now are in Ephesians 4: 17-32. They say stop living in the past; you have a new life. I was stuck in a vice that I couldn’t get out of, but God has set me free. I feel like I have a brand-new start. I’ve also learned that I’m the one who has been running away from people who have never given up on me."

Homer ended his touching column by reflecting on the goodwill of others in the community.

"To the MorningStar donors I want to say thank you for saving my life. You might not know it, but you played a huge part in that. You’re keeping this place open and giving people like me a second chance," he wrote.

This week, a former classmate from my days at Plainfield High School reached out and got in touch with me. She is a relative of Homer and wanted to know if I remembered writing about him.

I did. I remembered Homer and wondered what happened to him. She informed me of his miraculous transformation over these past several months and then came this week's unfathomable tragedy.

Homer was found dead Tuesday of a massive heart attack at the MorningStar Mission. He left behind three children: Rebekah, 10, Oliver 20 and Tommy 23.

"The last two days have been surreal," Homer's relative wrote me. "We all keep saying the same thing - we will miss him so much! There was a void in our lives while he struggled with drugs and homelessness. But then he made this amazing choice to enter MorningStar Mission.

"We have had the man we all loved back, for six months! We thought we had him back for a lifetime, but in the end it was the thing we all loved about him that failed him - his heart."

Homer's sister has set up a GoFundMe to defray costs for his funeral. The GoFundMe called Funeral Expenses for Homer Warren and his children is already off to a great start.

There's also a touching story about Homer's road to recovery on the GoFundMe page. "He was in a program and was due to graduate next week. He redeemed himself and stuck with the program. His family had finally got him back. He was the same old Homer, happy and full of life," his sister wrote.

If you are in the giving mood this Christmas Holiday season, the MorningStar Mission is always grateful for any help. According to its online newsletter, which is posted here, a donation of $21.70 provides for 10 meals and other assistance. A donation of $32.55 provides 15 meals and other assistance. A donation of $65.10 provides 30 meals and other assistance.

To learn more, visit the website for MorningStar Mission.

It's so sad to know that Homer isn't around this Christmas to continue to share the good news of his recovery, but his story will live on, believe me. And that's why I wrote this column.

A Joliet native and former investigative reporter and editor with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, John Ferak is Patch Editor for Joliet, New Lenox and Bolingbrook and Patch coverage for Shorewood and Channahon-Minooka.

GoFundMe is a Patch partner

Main image of Homer Warren via MorningStar Mission used with permission