Full Text
The opposite of addiction is not the absence of substances For Jordan Rice (née Hussey), Executive Director of J’s Place, the opposite of addiction is not the absence of substances, but connecting with people who understand the disease. She and her staff believe the importance of recovery and peer support is to show those in remission the right direction while anticipating possible pitfalls during their journey. Dawson County Government awarded J’s Place with an Opioid Support Programs Grant in May 2025. Currently, J’s Place’s primary location is in Gainesville, GA, but they also operate out of the Dawson County Treatment Court offices to serve the community north of Lake Lanier. “Dawson County is pleased that J’s Place is expanding services into our County, and to offer a small level of support with their goal to help our community,” Dawson County Manager Joey Leverette said. “I think my first feeling was excitement,” Rice explains upon hearing that J’s Place received the grant. “I think being acknowledged for the work that we’ve been doing for a really long time is a great feeling.” Rice shared that J’s Place has been in business in Hall County for nearly seven years. They provide up to 1,200 services a month in Hall County. J’s Place is grateful that Dawson County recognizes the importance of their work, giving them permission and support to expand into Dawson County. “It’s really incredible because what it does for us is say, ‘we see the importance of the work that you’re doing, we value it, and we want to be a part of it and show you how much we support it,’” Rice said. They hope that this grant will provide them with the assistance and support needed to find their own independent space in Dawson County. Having that would allow J’s Place to field staff and manage resources. A move would not end their partnership with Dawson County treatment services; they would still work closely with treatment services to provide referrals to residents and connect them to resources. Outside of Treatment Services, J’s Place partners with the Daily Reporting Center and Dawson County Probation Court. They’re involved in the justice system too, often providing support based on an individual’s needs. Several of its staff are returning citizens, so they’re well-versed in the local justice system. ---PAGE BREAK--- The mission of J’s Place is to help ensure the success of people with substance use disorders by connecting them to local resources, addressing unmet community needs, and providing a voice for those in recovery. It accomplish this with staff in long-term recovery programs. Every member of Rice’s staff is a certified peer recovery coach, meaning they have lived experience in recovery. “They are trained and certified on how to utilize that lived experience to help those who are impacted by the disease of addiction,” Rice said. J’s Place offers one-on-one support, recovery support meetings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, and All Recovery (inclusive support groups). They also provide groups like Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), budgeting, time management, and employment support from resume building to networking with employers who understand recovery. Rice anticipates that J’s Place will be able to provide the bulk of its Hall County services for Dawson County, eventually expanding those offerings. Their services began with one-on-one support and have expanded to upwards of 15 services/15 different programs in Hall County. Their ambition is to have a coach visit people in the Dawson County Jail to assess and mitigate barriers to reduce relapses. “We want to be ready, and the barriers that individuals in Dawson County face are not the exact same as the barriers that are in Hall County,” Rice said. J’s Place’s experience in Hall County will not be its blueprint. But that experience will inform their unique strategy for Dawson County. “People’s journeys and experiences are vastly different,” Rice said. “So our goal is to be able to utilize those experiences to offer hope to people that may not know they have any.” For J’s Place, a successful recovery journey starts with analyzing how effective their programs are and how often services are utilized. It also sees success in how many partnerships they can cultivate. “Because we’re starting fresh in Dawson County, we want to hear from them [residents],” Rice said. “Find out what they need so that we’re not providing services that aren't necessarily wanted or needed in the community.” J’s Place intends to host a “listening session” where they sit down and invite everyone to the table for a conversation. They want to determine what each person needs vs. what’s already being provided to avoid duplicating services. ---PAGE BREAK--- “We’re not in a competition [with other recovery organizations], and we don’t want to be,” Rice said. “So, we’ll measure success by attendance and continuance. For example, if we’re providing jail support, then we want to see what the recidivism rate [relapse rate] is.” To maintain transparency, J’s Place provides annual reports and hires an auditor every year to completely audit its finances. This ensures everything they do is above board by reporting those findings in their annual report. “We have an open records policy because we are a state nonprofit,” Rice said. “You know, we’re very transparent about our financials.” Dawson County Government leadership was pleased to award the grant to J’s Place and is encouraged by its ambitions to make a positive impact on the Dawson County Community.