Tanisha Gant-Watson is the founder and CEO of the Jordan Community Center which opened 14 years ago. Helping women get their lives back on track has been the center's focus from the start.
Mary Nichols has been at the center for 13 years and credits it for turning her life around saying, "Jordan has saved my life in so many different ways. It taught me skills I didn’t have. It gave me one-on-one practical skills in the workforce."
The Center provides recovery housing and a gender specific program for women to learn job skills, self-development and training to tackle daily life. April Weidus, who has been in the program for a year, is now looking forward to college after beating addiction. She says, "Before I went to Jordan house, I was very pessimistic. I have, just a totally different outlook on life now. The people at the Jordan facility are very caring, and they’re sincere."
The Center allows women to collaborate and support each other on their individual journeys. At a cost of about $14,000 a person, Jordan has helped over 1,500 women get back on track since its opening. BuComing up with those funds can be challenging but Gant-Watson believes the the community will stand behind the center as they come to understand the need for it, "We believe that, where there is life, there is hope. And that’s the biggest takeaway."
Nichols agrees. "13 years ago, if I didn’t have this mindset and this skill and Jordan, I would not be here."
Weidus believes that any woman struggling as she was can benefit from the program. "If you feel like there’s no chance you can make it, let someone try to help you."
To learn more about the Jordan Community Center, visit their website.