MICHIGAN CITY — Grace Learning Center is more than a place, it is a promise. A promise that with dignity, collaboration and community support, individuals can move from crisis to confidence, from instability to opportunity and from surviving to thriving.
Since opening its doors in 2011, the Grace Learning Center (GLC) has grown from a small educational initiative into a cornerstone of opportunity and renewal in Michigan City.
Today, GLC stands as a vibrant community hub, offering more than 20 transformative programs that help individuals and families overcome barriers, build stability and move toward long-term self-sufficiency.
Operated as a program of Citizens Concerned for the Homeless, Inc. (CCH), Grace Learning Center was born from a simple but powerful idea: when people are given access to the right tools, support, and encouragement, lasting change is possible.
What began as a modest effort to support CCH participants pursuing their GED has evolved into a welcoming, community-centered space serving residents across Michigan City and La Porte County.
From the outset, CCH recognized Grace Learning Center as an ideal platform for addressing the root causes that prevent individuals from achieving sustainable independence.
Today, GLC’s work is guided by four core focus areas, life skills, job readiness, healthy eating and active lifestyles and overall health and wellness, each designed to support the whole person, not just immediate needs.
The need for this comprehensive approach is clear. According to Jim Musial, Executive Director of CCH, approximately half of individuals entering CCH programs including Sand Castle Shelter for Homeless Families and the Keys to Hope Community Resource Center, have been formally diagnosed with or self-report mental health or substance use disorders.
In response, CCH has intentionally expanded Grace Learning Center’s offerings to include seven targeted classes, workshops and support groups that directly address these challenges with compassion and evidence-based support.
The mind, body, and spirit are deeply interconnected components of overall human health. A healthy body supports mental clarity and emotional stability, while a balanced spirit enhances both physical and psychological well-being.
In everyday life, individuals are constantly exposed to stressors such as family responsibilities, financial pressures, workplace demands, etc. These common challenges can significantly impact one’s overall health. Therefore, achieving and maintaining physical and mental wellness requires a holistic approach – one that focuses on treating the whole person rather than addressing isolated symptoms alone.
Through strong partnerships with trusted community organizations, Grace Learning Center delivers a wide range of accessible, no-cost wellness services.
Pillars of Wellness offers impactful courses such as Coping with Trauma, Healthy Relationships, Living with Anxiety, and Self-Esteem, while Bowen Center provides Anger Management programming.
Weekly Substance Use and Recovery Education sessions are led by ToniMandeville, BSCO, HSBCP.
Also, under the authority of the La Porte County Circuit Courts Family Recovery Cour program, these classes, as well as What Teens Need to Know: Addictive Substances and Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) serve both adults and youth. In addition, GLC hosts Sisters of Grace, a women’s Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting and Ice Breakers, a co-ed Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) meeting creating space for peer support and connection.
In keeping with our health and wellness priorities, we also partner with local providers such as HealthLinc who provides monthly blood pressure monitoring, and NorthShore’s Wellness on Wheels that brings both family practice and insurance navigation services right to our door.
Most recently, a collaborative partnership among CCH, Grace Learning Center, Keys to Hope Community Resource Center, HealthLinc and Pillars of Wellness have significantly expanded access to care.
Through this collaboration, individuals in need can receive no-cost mental health evaluations within three days, with connections to therapy available in under a week when needed, an essential step toward timely, life-changing support.
Grace Learning Center’s impact extends beyond wellness into economic empowerment. Operating within a community-collaborative model, CCH partners with organizations committed to skill-building and workforce readiness.
Goodwill Industries provides basic and intermediate computer skills training in GLC’s computer lab, while PNC Bank leads workshops on banking, budgeting, and credit repair – practical tools that support financial stability.
New opportunities continue to grow. Chef Angi, a recent addition to the GLC team, offers a plant-based cooking class, a family cooking on a budget course, and a ServSafe certification and testing workshop. The ServSafe certification gives participants a competitive edge in the food service industry.
A new partnership with WorkOne further strengthens employment readiness through monthly workshops, including a recent two-hour session focused on work ethic and workplace success.
At the heart of Grace Learning Center’s mission is accessibility. As Program Director Toni Mandeville emphasizes, all classes and workshops are offered at no cost to participants.
Looking ahead, a capacity-building grant from the Health Foundation of La Porte will soon allow GLC to install permanent cameras, enabling classes to be livestreamed and accessed by anyone with an internet-connected device. Several Pillars of Wellness classes are already available online via a hyperlink on CCH’s website, extending GLC’s reach beyond its walls.
