CEP is the vision of Jocelyn Wells, who began the organization as a way to help women overcome addictions and abuse while providing an alternative to their former ways of life. In June 2006, after the passing of her mother Claudia, Jocelyn was entrusted a home at 17116 South Elm Street in Hazel Crest, Illinois. She converted the single-family home into a transitional housing program for substance
abusers and victims of domestic violence to conquer their self-defeating pasts and begin anew. She named the 7-bed site Claudia’s Place, in memory of her mother. Following the opening of Claudia's Place, a second single-family home at 14714 South Madison Avenue in Harvey, Illinois, was converted into an identical transitional housing program and the site was named Eddie's Place. A 6-bed site, Eddie's Place opened in November 2007 and was named in honor of Jocelyn's son, Eddie, who at the age of 17 was sentenced to 30 years in prison as a result of poor decisions made while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Eddie’s Place is licensed by the Department of Human Services. For seven years, the transitional housing programs at Claudia’s Place and Eddie's Place have fulfilled Jocelyn’s vision of empowering women to make healthy choices and assisting women suffering substance addiction, domestic violence, mental illness, and/or HIV/AIDS or who have been incarcerated to become better mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, and members of society. Both programs provide shelter, life skills training, and vocational training related to the janitorial service sector. Participants learn how to utilize computers in order to perform job searches, fill out applications, and create resumes. Participants also perform a number of daily chores related to upkeep and maintenance of living spaces, and each are required to cook one evening meal per week for the house. CEP is registered as a 501c3 non-for-profit organization.
