Casey Prather credits a sober living home run by Springfield resident Julie Benson to playing a part in the longest stretch of sobriety he’s experienced in his adult life.
Prather calls Benson’s Home Sweet Home Sober Living home, which he began living at almost two-and-a-half years ago, “unlike any other” he’s experienced. Now, the pair are working together to find a new residence to create a sober living space for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Before entering one of Benson’s two sober living homes, Prather, who is gay, had spent about 15 years among almost two dozen inpatient residential rehab facilities and sober living homes, largely in Illinois.
“After you discharge from (rehab), obviously they want to try to get you into some sober living or some type of aftercare program, and I kept saying, ‘I want to find somewhere that’s LGBTQ inclusive.’ A lot of facilities (claim to) be LGBTQ+ friendly; it doesn’t necessarily mean they are,” Prather told Illinois Times. “I just felt like I can’t be the only gay man out there that felt that way throughout my treatment process and finally, they found me a place to go.”
Prather was sent to a facility in Cleveland, Ohio, and realized Springfield could use its own LGBTQ+ sober living home. “Somebody shouldn’t have to travel eight-and-a-half hours for treatment,” he said.
Benson, who turned 65 on Dec. 2, has been helping people experiencing homelessness in Springfield for the better part of the last decade. She started a street ministry in 2016, distributing clothing and supplies to unhoused people. After she retired in 2018, she incorporated Helping the Homeless as an official nonprofit and accepted donations, but avoided grant funding or other formal structure, preferring to operate on her own.
In 2022, Benson launched a one-woman business venture related to her nonprofit work and took out a bank loan to buy a house on South Fifth Street, then another one on South Fourth Street a few months later. She told IT that there’s been a consistent need for more stable housing to help people seeking recovery, and that Prather is the one to lead the charge for an LGBTQ+ home.
“You get people who are like-minded, who have been through some of the same trauma, some of the same situations… It’s better to be around people who understand what you’re going through,” Benson said. “I never was into drugs or drinking, but I have the empathy and the compassion for it. Casey’s been there; he can say to somebody, ‘Been there, done that,’ and they need that kind of support. And since there isn’t a facility in this town for the gay community, we feel like we need one.”
Both said they hope to carry forward Benson’s work, and Prather is working on forming his own nonprofit, The Prather Foundation for Recovery.
The duo’s current goal is to find a property in Springfield that can house six to eight LGBTQ+ people in recovery. Benson said she has discussed the new sober living project with numerous social service organizations and medication-assisted therapy centers around Springfield and all have been supportive of the idea.
Benson charges between $300 and $475 per month to rent a furnished room, depending on the size of the space, and includes Wi-Fi, laundry, utilities and some house supplies. In contrast, other sober living houses in Springfield often charge $700-$800 a month for a shared room.
Benson engages in a person-focused approach by imposing far fewer rules for her sober living home residents than what is typical of such houses. For example, there’s no curfew, no mandated check-ins and no limit on how long someone can stay as long as they pay rent and are a respectful roommate.
“If you’re somebody who can’t sleep at night – because you’ve got bad sleep patterns or you’ve got anxiety or something – in a place like that, you can’t walk out the front door and go down the block and get some fresh air and smoke a cigarette and clear your mind and look up at the stars,” she said. “You do that at my houses because I don’t call anybody and say, ‘What are you doing walking out the front door?’”
There is random drug testing, though Benson stressed it is not routine nor does she utilize a zero-tolerance policy in case someone relapses and positively tests for drug use.
“I give people chances, especially if they say to me, ‘You know what, you’re right. I messed up, I’d really like another chance,’ and then I communicate with them often to try to make sure that they’re on some kind of a good track. It really is different than the other houses in town because I’m getting guys coming from other houses to mine; they want to come to my houses,” she said.
Perhaps the most significant difference is the privacy Benson provides by filling rooms individually rather than doubling up residents. Prather said he had to share a room at all the other rehabilitation centers and sober living homes he stayed in.
“It’s hard to sleep in a room when you’re just feet away from a complete stranger. For me, I’ve never been to a house that has allowed occupants to have their own room,” he said. “I’ve been to so many different places, and I see it doesn’t work out for people (who share rooms). That’s a big reason why people move out, they get into arguments; they get into fights. We want a peaceful place to call home where people can have their privacy and their dignity.”
This article appears in December 4-10, 2025.
