Addiction is often misunderstood as a moral failing. But at Turning Point, a culturally specific recovery center in North Minneapolis, it’s treated as what it truly is: a chronic disease rooted in trauma and pain.
“It’s impulsiveness to feel different, to escape pain,” said Byron Jeffrey, a former client turned counselor. “It might start as fun, but it grows into something that takes over your life.”
For nearly 49 years, Turning Point has been a trusted space for African Americans seeking freedom from addiction. Founded by Dr. Peter Hayden to serve Black men in Minnesota, the organization has since evolved into a broader healing hub, led today in part by clinical director Omika Johnson.
“When I came into the building, I could feel something in the walls,” Johnson recalled. “There’s a warm, family-like essence here. It felt like the place I needed to be.”
Both Jeffrey and Johnson agree: to treat addiction effectively, you must understand its roots.
“People don’t wake up wanting to be addicts,” Jeffrey said. “Addiction comes from trauma — childhood abandonment, systemic oppression, a lack of love and safety. It’s a disease of the mind that impacts the whole body.”
Johnson adds that recovery requires long-term, culturally relevant support. “We don’t just treat someone for 90 days and send them on their way. That’s not how healing works,” she said. “Addiction affects every aspect of a person’s life, so we have to walk with them long after treatment ends.”
Turning Point’s care begins with its 90-day residential inpatient program at its main campus on Plymouth Avenue, where clients live and receive programming on-site. Services include group therapy, medical appointments, and access to an in-house mental health practitioner.
After the initial treatment phase, clients transition to sober living at Miss B’s House, located on 16th Avenue North, while continuing outpatient services at the main location for four to six months.
Once clients complete outpatient treatment, they can join the alumni group, which meets regularly with peer recovery coaches. “These are people who’ve graduated but still need a place to check in and be supported,” Johnson explained. “They’re out there living life, but they know they can come back here when they need us.”
An outpatient program for women is also being relaunched in May, expanding Turning Point’s impact.
“All of our services are rooted in recovery, but also in safety and visibility,” said Johnson. “We want our clients to feel seen and supported as they move into the next chapters of their lives.”
Turning Point also collaborates with Hennepin County and local professionals to deliver cultural health lectures, host mental health groups, and create wellness education tailored to African American experiences.
“Our goal is to integrate the things happening out there in the systems with what we offer in here,” Johnson said. “We’re preparing people to thrive outside these walls.”
And the work doesn’t stop at the door.
“For Earth Day, our clients were out cleaning up the Northside. Our CEO was out there too,” said Johnson. “We’re not above doing the work this community needs to heal. We’re a part of it.”
Both Johnson and Jeffrey emphasize how representation transforms outcomes.
“When someone walks in and sees staff who look like them — who’ve been through what they’ve been through — it builds trust,” Jeffrey said. “You can’t treat addiction in our community without being part of the community.”
And that, they say, is the power of Turning Point: it doesn’t just treat addiction — it treats people with care, context, and commitment.
“We’re gonna love on you,” Jeffrey said. “A lot of our folks come in with abandonment issues and no support system. That’s what we offer — love, guidance, and accountability.”
For more information, visit www.ourturningpoint.org.
Kiara Williams welcomes reader responses at kwilliams@spokesman-recorder.com
I was so glad to see something positive in the newspaper. This is an awesome and amazing place; I know; it REALLY transformed my husband whole life and attitude around. He is the person that I knew and loved 25 years ago. Keep up the good work Turning Point!!