Program Description
Program/Practice Description: The Odyssey Village serves individuals with no insurance and those with Medicaid or county health benefits. It is a consortium of wraparound services that includes three different substance abuse treatment programs: (1) Flint/Saginaw Odyssey House, a residential treatment community for women (pregnant, postpartum, and parenting) and their infants and children age 17 or younger; (2) Flint Odyssey House, a co-ed residential treatment community; and (3) outpatient treatment. The residential programs are long-term (6-12 months). The outpatient component is a closed program for those who go through the residential program.
Background/Program History: Odyssey House originally was developed in New York in the 1960s and expanded nationally and internationally. When the founder, Dr. Judianne Densen-Gerber, stepped down in 1987, each program functioned independently. Information about how Odyssey House started and the therapeutic community model can be found in Dr. Densen-Gerber's book We Mainline Dreams: The Odyssey House Story.
In the 1990s, there were no treatment centers for pregnant women. The Odyssey House in Flint explored how to provide services for this population and later received funding. It progressed to women staying in treatment. This led to a demonstration grant that helped enhance children's services (e.g., daycare). Services were expanded to include children age 7 or younger and later included larger families and older children. Today, the Odyssey Village provides services to mothers and children of all ages. It also provides services to men and women in the area with substance abuse problems.
Innovations and Results: The Odyssey Village offers a holistic approach to substance abuse treatment, focusing on the whole person. Clinical rehabilitation services address individual and group counseling, domestic violence, anger management, grief counseling, women's/men's group, Strengthening Families Program, Nurturing Families Program, parenting education, nutrition class, self-esteem class, personality disorder group, comprehensive assessments for adults and children, social skill building, family counseling and family skill building, after school program, job readiness skills, tutorial and GED preparation, computer classes, health awareness center, spiritual meditation, life skills management, recreational activities, and other sobriety-based living skills. The Odyssey Village also offers continued sobriety services and post-discharge follow-ups with clients.
The Odyssey Village uses creative activities to provide services to clients. For example, some clients will be provided with job training. The Odyssey Village plans to renovate its buildings and has hired a contractor who will subcontract to the Odyssey Village clients. This will provide employment readiness by helping clients learn new skills from an experienced job coach. The goal of this project is for residents to develop a marketable skill and become licensed in some aspect of carpentry so they might support themselves after they are reintegrated into their communities.
Funding: The Odyssey Village is funded through Federal and State sources (e.g., expansion grants, HUD grants, Homeless Veterans Grant).
Staffing: The Odyssey Village makes an effort to hire from within (current and former clients). There are approximately 50 staff members. The Odyssey Village has 17 clinical staff, including part-time and contractual employees. Clinicians serve as case managers and are primarily responsible for coordinating all treatment (e.g., employment services, referrals). They are responsible for assessments, planning service, and group sessions. The contractual staff consists of an educational psychologist who conducts educational testing, a psychologist who conducts psychological testing, a psychiatrist, and a physician's assistant who provides physical examinations, psychiatric evaluations, and medication reviews.
There is a 2-week orientation process for new employees. The new employee is paired with and shadows another clinician. There is some individual training but mostly training is in a group. For example, at weekly interdisciplinary team meetings, new clinicians present cases to become familiar with the processes. The employee also reviews cases with the clinical director. For more experienced employees, onsite trainings are provided. The Odyssey Village also encourages outside trainings and will pay for two per year.
Important Partnerships: Partnerships are important to the success of the Odyssey Village. Community partnerships enable many services to be provided, including a weekly nutrition class and testing for HIV and other communicable diseases. The Odyssey Village is linked with STRIVE International in New York, which is a 3-week boot camp program focused on work readiness and job development.