Odyssey House wins housing award

Housing support for homeless families with substance use disorders

Odyssey House has been selected by the New York State Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to receive $499,000 in annual funding to provide 20 permanent supportive housing apartments with case management and vocational services staff for families who were homeless when they entered an Odyssey House intensive residential facility, and are now scheduled to complete that course of treatment.

This innovative housing model will target chronically homeless families; families at serious risk of becoming chronically homeless; and other currently homeless families, in which the head-of-household has a substance use disorder.

The award was announced by New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, who called the initiative “another component of the New York/New York III Agreement that has brought together many State and City agencies and departments in a multi-year effort to address homelessness.”

Odyssey House has significant experience working with families in residential and outpatient treatment settings as well as supportive housing programs. At any one time up to 210 women and children live in specially equipped family accommodations in one of the organization’s treatment centers. The comprehensive services provided include: intensive substance abuse, mental health, and family counseling; medical and dental care; vocational, educational, legal, and housing support; and onsite licensed childcare services that include nurseries and early Head Start programs.

Dr. Peter Provet, President and CEO of Odyssey House, welcomed the Governor’s support for families in treatment and added: “As our understanding of what it means to be in recovery evolves, and we develop programs that address the bio-psycho-social needs of families in treatment, the provision of safe, affordable housing is a key component of a holistic approach to treating substance abuse disorders.”

Click here to read the full press release.

NJ Governor calls for “a transformation of the way we deal with drug abuse and incarceration”

Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet responds to NJ Governor Chris Christie's remarks on compulsory treatment for incarcerated drug offenders in his State of the State speech, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s position on mandatory treatment for non-violent drug offenders has been called “unusually forgiving.” His emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation is striking, particularly given such a position typically carries little political capital. Governor Christie is to be commended for his compassion and understanding of an issue that pervades entire communities in New Jersey and across the country. But in-prison treatment is only a piece of what is required to address substance abuse. Several states are making inroads in dealing with criminality and substance abuse. In New York, correctional and treatment agencies are working together on a range of programs that target drug abuse inside prison and upon release. Treatment within a prison is a necessary start, but what happens when former inmates go home determines how many lives and how much money are saved. With the overwhelming majority of inmates in need of treatment (85 percent according to national statistics), Governor Christie has hit on an urgent need that starts in prison but must continue into our communities.

Peter Provet, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Odyssey House New York