Our 2012 Annual Report is now available

Commitment to a Cause

Helping people with substance use disorders and mental health challenges rebuild their lives requires a special kind of commitment. It’s a commitment that demands resiliency, gives hope, rewards effort, and embraces challenges. It’s the kind of commitment that puts people first and expects the best from everyone.

By setting a standard of commitment, OdysseyHouse has created a culture of achievement and expertise that stimulates personal growth and encourages resourcefulness. This year's annual report explores how Odyssey House is maintaining high treatment standards - built on evidence-based practices and decades of clinical experience - in the face of a changing environment.

Odyssey House logo wins award

We are pleased to announce that global strategic branding firm Siegel+Gale has received a 2013 REBRAND 100 Distinction Award for its development of the new Odyssey House logo. The REBRAND Awards are considered one of the most prestigious in the worldwide branding industry.

Siegel+Gale helped us explore new ways to communicate our diverse programs and services in a fresh and engaging way. Led by Justin Peters, global executive creative director, the design team developed a compelling new logo that comes in five brilliant colors: yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple. 

Unveiled in September 2010, the new Odyssey House logo and tagline - "Where recovery lives" - capture the evolution of the institution from a single service treatment provider to a social services organization that also includes mental health, medical, dental, educational and vocational, and housing services in our portfolio.

Click here to see the evolution of our logo.

Working in Recovery: How do we know what works? We ask questions

By Gary Harmon, Ph.D.
Vice President, Director of Research & Grants

As the substance use disorder field continues to evolve and move closer to a medical model, Odyssey House is poised to remain a leader.  The ability of the agency to retain the essential elements of treatment from its roots over 45 years ago, combined with cutting-edge and new research-supported treatment, has led to a model that we know works. 

Personally, I take great satisfaction in the quality of the services we provide and the excellent treatment outcomes that are produced.  Since my role often involves viewing our clients, programs, and services as data on a computer screen, I always make sure to remember that every number represents a person; someone who came to Odyssey House in need of help; someone with a dream or hope of a better life.  Keeping that important principle in mind helps to ensure that I never stop asking that very important question:  “How do we know what we do works?” 

Entering into the substance use disorder field six years ago, I was eager to apply my background in public health to one of the greatest problems facing our society.  I have worked with disadvantaged and disenfranchised populations for my entire career but this field presented an entirely new set of challenges and barriers.  It was clear from the start that our clients and residents were not only battling with drugs and alcohol, but most were also beset with poverty, trauma, mental illness and homelessness.  One of the reasons that I was attracted to Odyssey House was the organization’s approach to research and data.  Employing a full-time director of research and grants signaled to me that the agency had a value for exploring what was most effective for our clients and residents.  At that time, the agency had begun to implement several Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs), and was participating in a National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trial Network research study. 

The acceptance of new, data-driven interventions shows that Odyssey House is staying ahead of the field in terms of best practices and the most effective treatment services, and the commitment to research and implementation of EBPs has only grown. We now employ more than 12 different data-driven interventions throughout the agency, and we have recently participated in several clinical trials with both New York University and Columbia University. As an evaluator on several grant projects supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, I have seen from the data that the programs we implement are effective.

The first questions I asked of my colleagues upon entering the field was, “What do we do?” and “How do we know what we do works?” Although simple questions, it was clear to me that the answers were much more complex and the results more rewarding.

Working in Recovery is an occasional series of guest blog posts by Odyssey House clinical, administrative, and research experts.

A time when marijuana is legal

In response to Bill Keller's column, "How to Legalize Pot," in The New York Times, Dr. Peter Provet comments on the implications of legalizing marijuana.

A Time When Marijuana is Legal

To the Editor:

Bill Keller suggests that legalization of marijuana is a foregone conclusion. The voters in Washington State and Colorado have proposed that one way out of an intransigent public health problem, costly law enforcement, spiraling prison costs and reduced tax revenues is to legalize a known addictive substance.

It is wishful thinking, however, to believe that a government-regulated marijuana marketplace will raise enough money to offset the harm that today’s highly potent drug inflicts on communities across America.

The only chance we have to get ahead of the coming epidemic is by adequately financing treatment programs so the infrastructure of marijuana production, distribution and retail is matched by broad-based community services.

PETER PROVET
President and Chief Executive
Odyssey House

Working in Recovery: Running residential programs

Comprehensive treatment with wraparound medical, educational, vocational, and housing supports

By Justin Mitchell, Vice President & Director of Adult Residential Services

From our humble beginnings of 17 individuals coming together to form a community focused on living drug free, Odyssey House has developed into a multi-service entity providing a safe haven for the neediest New Yorkers. From the newborn child to the elderly man or woman, Odyssey House is equipped to meet the specific needs of a wide range of clientele struggling with substance use disorders, mental illness and homelessness.

Today’s Odyssey House has adopted an increased focus on evidence-based services, including parenting and trauma interventions; licensed early educational services such as Early Head Start; adult basic education; on-site medical and dental clinics; and an ever-expanding supportive housing portfolio. 

I joined Odyssey House in 2002 as a rehabilitation counselor with the goal of assisting clients in developing the skills necessary to reintegrate into their community and become productive members of society. Over the past 10 years I have had the chance to work in various positions and departments within Odyssey House, providing me with a unique opportunity to affect change on a client, a staff, and an organizational level.

Today, I am responsible for the residential treatment programs that are core to Odyssey House’s 46 year history. It is my job to ensure that the 500 adults and children we serve every day receive the best quality treatment; maintain compliance with various city, state and federal regulations; and develop methods to enhance our treatment programs to meet the changing needs of our clientele. 

During my years at Odyssey House, I have learned that the clients most successful at staying clean are the ones who are most committed to the treatment process. Odyssey House, at its foundation, remains a self-help program that encourages individuals to maximize their time in treatment to address a wide range of social, physical and spiritual needs. I expect, and encourage, clients to take an active role in their recovery, creating individualized treatment goals that include abstinence from drugs and alcohol, educational and vocational milestones, employment, financial self-sufficiency, and independent housing.  

But my job at Odyssey House is not merely an administrative one. I have a central belief that our role as models for right living can have the greatest impact on clients. As staff we are here to inspire hope in our clients: hope that by making a commitment to honest reflection and meaningful change, one can regain control and redirect the path of their lives. By demonstrating patience, positive communication skills, a strong work ethic, and genuine care and concern, we provide an example of how to be good family members, parents and citizens. Every day, we demonstrate how to give back to our community. 

In treatment, every day provides a new opportunity to be successful. As we continue to think about how long-term residential treatment fits into a changing health care environment, it is important to remember that for our clients, success may come slowly and can take many forms. For our young adults it may be achieving their GEDs; for clients struggling with mental illness it can mean the independence of community-based housing; for our mothers it can mean family reunification; and for our elderly it can be gaining a sense of integrity as they recover from a lifelong addiction.  

Working in Recovery is an occasional series of guest blog posts by Odyssey House clinical, administrative, and research experts.