Recovering addict helping others get education, obtain employment

By Nick Mordowanec | The Oakland Press | Published October 17, 2021

Christine Johnson’s life took a turn, going from a vibrant childhood to jail stints in adulthood.

Johnson is the new career and education coordinator at the Pontiac nonprofit Grace Centers of Hope. But before she reached sobriety, she hit rock bottom.

Born in the Battle Creek area to a two-parent Catholic household, a good educational foundation was strongly encouraged. After getting a 32 on her ACT, she attended the University of Dayton in Ohio, studying philosophy and communications.

“Part of what happened when I left for college was, I got there and it was a lot of stress,” Johnson said. “It was a different environment and I had some mental health issues, depression and anxiety. I also experienced things growing up that were a little detrimental to my development.”

It didn’t take long for her to hit a self-described downward spiral. Starting at about age 18, she began using heroin and meth and found herself in jail multiple times. She eventually dropped out of college and continued using until age 31, when she was arrested on charges of manufacturing her own meth.

“I had really sunk,” she said. “I had started off in a really great place, a really great family and a lot of education. And I had gone just all the way down.”

As she faced serious criminal charges, she communicated with an aunt from the Fenton area who had a connection to get her into a recovery program at Grace Centers. At that time, Johnson had already gone through rehabilitation 12-15 times, intensive counseling, and multiple 3-6 month programs.

She was accepted at Grace Centers. When she left jail, her mother and aunt dropped her off in Pontiac.

Johnson soon overtook the role of intake coordinator at the women’s center, helping other women get into the program for about two years. On Oct. 7 she took over her current role.

Johnson helps a Grace Centers of Hope client in the career and education center. Photo Credit: Grace Centers of Hope

The career and education center provides computer training and work readiness, etc. Since 2020 it has helped 71 clients obtain employment, including helping seven clients obtain their GEDs in 6-8 months.

Clients come in starting at a sixth grade level and work their way up, Johnson said. She helps them find appropriate employment based on their modes of transportation, income, and whether or not they have children due to daycare costs and requiring bigger budgets.

Grace Centers of Hope also offers transition classes. At the end of men and women’s programs, they spend months learning how to interview for jobs and explain gaps in employment. They also learn how to work by themselves or on teams, while also taking classes on relapse prevention.

Johnson said one of the reasons transition classes started was due to stress causing recovering addicts to relapse. In 2020 there were 63 clients in transition classes.

“We have a 100% job placement rate,” she said. “Every client that comes through here gets a job.”

For the better part of over a dozen years, Johnson was in and out of jails and counseling programs. Every time she took one step forward, she then took two steps back.

Years later, she is using her own education to benefit others in a positive way, through an organization that gave her “a sliver of hope” that changed her life. She even met her husband at Grace Centers.

“It’s a definite part of the circle, if not full circle for me,” she said.