When Amanda Cookson got out of prison in 2019, she had a hard time finding a place to live. Her relationships with family members in Talequah were strained and landlords wouldn't look past the conviction on her record.
"I think that a lot of people may look at somebody who's been incarcerated or has had a substance abuse problem as somebody who will be like that forever and there's no helping them," she said.
After battling opioid addiction and getting caught for prescription fraud, Cookson had spent nearly seven years behind bars. Once released, she was eager to find a job and get settled. She turned to Cherokee Nation's reentry program for support.
The reentry program, created in 2013, provides formerly incarcerated Cherokee Nation citizens living on the reservation with access to housing, career opportunities and other essential services.
Cookson credits the program with helping her get back on her feet. Now, she works for Cherokee Nation on the other side of the process, helping new participants navigate the same challenges she did.
"I can really help these people," she said. "I think that everything I went through in life is to do what I'm doing today."
Investing opioid settlement dollars into housing resources for reentry participants
As the reentry program has grown, the Cherokee Nation has invested more resources in running it. Earlier this year, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner pushed through legislation that added more than $6.5 million from a new opioid settlement into the tribe's Public Health and Wellness Fund Act, including $4 million to build and operate transitional housing for citizens getting out of prison.
"We are far better off as a tribe, and as a society, if we lift up those who have been held accountable for their crimes and who have a commitment to rejoin society as productive citizens," Hoskin said in a press release. "After already boosting funding for our reentry program by half a million this year, it is time to plan for the next phase of development using a small portion of opioid settlement funds."
The transitional housing will include two housing units where formerly incarcerated tribal members can live for short time periods as they move from crisis to permanent stability.
Cookson said finding housing is one of the hardest barriers for people coming out of prison, and she's glad participants will have more options available to them. Research shows that formerly incarcerated U.S. adults experience higher rates of housing and financial insecurity than those without a history of incarceration, and people experiencing homelessness have a higher chance of reincarceration.
The reentry program reports serving about 500 participants a year, and Hoskin Jr. said it's time to increase housing options for people who need them. He said the decision is about meeting basic needs so that participants have enough stability in their lives to start thinking about the future.
"Shelter is the very basic thing," Hoskin Jr. said. "If you don't have that, you know, going to a career tech to learn a skill so you can get a job, that's all secondary."
The transitional housing isn't the tribe's only construction project being funded by opioid settlements, but it marks the first time the money is being used for reentry by the tribal nation.
Cherokee Nation became the first tribal nation in the U.S. to sue opioid distributors in 2017 for the healthcare crisis caused by the addictive drugs. Opioid overdose deaths more than doubled in the counties that make up Cherokee Nation between 2003 and 2014, according to the lawsuit.
"This civil lawsuit is the Cherokee Nation's only remaining weapon to fight against the opioid abuse epidemic the Defendants have caused in the Cherokee Nation," attorneys said in the filing.
Drug companies and the tribe reached a settlement in 2021, which included a $75 million payout to Cherokee Nation. Now, thousands of state, local and tribal governments have sued drugmakers, wholesalers, pharmacies and other businesses over the toll of the opioid crisis, which has been linked to more than 900,000 deaths in the U.S. since 1999.
"There was so much damage done, and I'm just really glad that everybody sees that," Cookson said. "...And I'm so happy that Cherokee Nation is willing to recognize that and put money back into helping prevent it further down the road."
Hoskin Jr. said devoting money to reentry addresses the ongoing impacts of the crisis.
"We lost a lot of years," he said. "We lost a lot of lives. And the dollars are not going to fully restore that, but they are going to help, I think. Particularly if we spend them wisely."
Learning to move with hobbles on
For reentry participant Louis "Clakie" Chaffin, support from the tribe has meant everything. He said Cookson has helped guide him through the many steps it takes to reintegrate into society.
"She's been in every, every fight I've been in, she's been there fighting for me," he said. "She's made sure I have everything I need … she's family now, whether she knows it or not."
Chaffin is working on a maintenance crew for the Cherokee Nation's food distribution centers while he reapplies for a commercial driver's license that expired during his incarceration.
He was ready to get back to his normal routine, but he said navigating life after prison time is like trying to "maneuver with the hobbles on." Chaffin said there are unexpected challenges at every turn, and to succeed, he's had to be patient and rely on his support system. He said he's glad the tribe is putting more resources into the program that has helped him and others get back on their feet.
"If it wasn't for the Nation right now, I would be ten steps behind where I'm at," he said.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
