Celebrating women in recovery

Every year, Odyssey House commemorates Women's History Month with events that are aimed at boosting self-esteem and encouraging female bonding. It's an important event here as many of the women in our programs are coping with low self-esteem and a history of domestic violence or sexual abuse. This year, the Haven celebrated the achievements of women in recovery with a special event for staff, residents and their families. The program included musical performances, two inspirational guest speakers - Adrianne Walker and Betty Jean Robinson - and poetry readings from Haven residents.

At the end of the program, the "Woman of the Year" award was presented to Cynthia S., a resident who is "leading by example" and has made significant strides in her life since moving into the Haven, including reconnecting with her family and encouraging her neighbors to maintain their sobriety. Accepting the award, Cynthia said, "I have the greatest support right here in this building to help me through. Thank you so much."


Cynthia & the Haven staff

Women's History Month traces its beginnings to the first International Women's Day in 1911. The idea was first put forward at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid world industrialization and economic expansion that lead to protests over working conditions. In the US, International Women's Day came to commemorate the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. In 1981, responding to the growing popularity of the event, Congress passed a resolution recognizing Women's History Week and in 1987, Congress expanded the focus to an entire month.

Supportive housing building opens in East Harlem

Construction on our 50-unit long-term housing development on 123rd Street - named Park Avenue - has finally been completed. The residence, which officially opened for occupancy on March 9th, will provide transitional housing to individuals diagnosed with mental illness. Odyssey House will provide supportive services for the residents, many of whom will be reintegrating into the community after a period of hospitalization.

Check out some of the photos of the building, which was designed by Urban Architectural Initiatives. We'll post more when the art installations and landscaping have been completed. Photos of the construction in progress can be seen here and here.

Park Avenue

Lobby

Kitchen (for special events)

Lounge

Typical residential floor

Unit kitchen

Introducing the new Odyssey House website!

The new Odyssey House website is more user-friendly, with easier navigation, a more intuitive design and vibrant colors. Take a look at how you can browse and engage our website in whole new ways.

The redesigned website was built with a grant from the Taproot Foundation, which disburses grants of high-quality, professional consulting services, rather than monetary awards.

Give to Odyssey House, one search at a time

Help Odyssey House raise money - for free! Just start using GoodSearch (powered by Yahoo!) as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to us every time you do a search.

In addition, when you shop through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, a percentage of your purchases will benefit the men, women and children in treatment at Odyssey House. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to us. More than 900 top retailers, including Amazon.com and the Apple Store, participate in GoodShop.com.

And if you download the GoodSearch/Odyssey House toolbar, our cause will earn money every time you search and shop online - even if you forget to go to GoodSearch or GoodShop first. You can download the toolbar here.

Use GoodSearch.com today and start donating to Odyssey House without spending a dime!

VIDEO: Peter Provet on "Good Day Street Talk"

Here's the video from last Saturday's Good Day Street Talk on Fox 5, featuring Odyssey House President Peter Provet. Dr. Provet was part of a panel, which also included New York City Councilmember Peter Vallone and representatives from the Harm Reduction Coalition and the Drug Policy Alliance, discussing the NYC health department's controversial pamphlet on IV drug use.

Take a look and let us know what you think!