Category: OASAS

Three Odyssey House employees honored by New York State

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We are pleased to announce that OASAS has selected THREE of our staff members as winners of New York’s Annual Addictions Professionals’Awards. Congratulations to Justin Mitchell, Annise Weaver and Tracy Moore on their awards! In recognition of all the honorees, Governor Cuomo issued a proclamation designating September 20, 2014 as “Addictions Professionals Day.”

Justin Mitchell (left) and Annise Weaver (right) with
Odyssey Foundation Board Chairman George Rosenfeld.
  • Justin Mitchell – Licensed Mental Health Counselor of the Year Mr. Mitchell, Vice President, Director of Adult Residential Programs, is responsible for the oversight of treatment services targeting vulnerable populations such as women with young children and the elderly, assisting his clients with their recovery while serving as an advocate for each individual’s dignity and personal integrity. Since becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in 2006, Mr. Mitchell has provided direct care services in such diverse settings as opioid treatment programs, intensive residential rehabilitation, community mental health centers, community-based cognitive rehabilitation counseling and supportive housing for individuals with substance use disorders and serious mental illness. 
  • Annise Weaver – Certified Rehabilitation Counselor of the Year As the Director of Vocational & Educational Services, Ms. Weaver provided oversight for the care of approximately 1,100 clients in residential, outpatient and housing programs annually. Under her leadership, 284 clients obtained employment, 243 were enrolled in vocational skills trainings, and 66 clients obtained a GED in 2012-14. She has developed sub-specialties within her field of practice, supervising the rehabilitation counseling of special populations such as adults over fifty-five years of age, single mothers with young children, and transition-aged youth. Ms. Weaver’s accomplishments led to her promotion to Senior Director of Admissions and Residential Support Services in April 2014. 
  • Tracy Moore – CASAC Trainee of the Year In his role as a Substance Abuse Counselor, Mr. Moore has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to providing high quality, holistic treatment services to the individuals he serves through both group and individual counseling.  He has a unique ability to establish a healthy therapeutic alliance with his clients and a professional sensitivity to their needs, including those with co-occurring mental health disorders, histories of traumatic experience and criminal justice involvement. Mr. Moore has worked hard to strengthen his clinical acumen by seeking out and achieving certification in the following evidence based practices: Motivational Interviewing, Thinking for Change, Seven Challenges, and Medication Assisted Treatment modalities.

Each September in observance of National Recovery Month, OASAS acknowledges addictions professionals across New York State who provide exceptional services ranging from chemical dependence prevention, treatment and recovery, to problem gambling services for persons and communities in need. This marks the fifth consecutive year an Odyssey House employee has received an Addictions Professional Award, for a total of nine awards.

Five NYC Agencies Win $1.75M for Addiction-Related Housing

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New York Nonprofit Press

The NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) awarded $1.75 million in grants to five New York City nonprofits to provide permanent supportive housing for homeless families struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol.

“Permanent supportive housing programs are essential to breaking the cycle of homelessness for New York’s most vulnerable individuals and families,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo in making the announcement. “These programs provide the vital support services necessary to help families maintain physical and emotional health, sustain healthy relationships, and generally improve the overall quality of their lives.”

The five agencies identified to receive awards — and the number of units they are being allocated — include the following:

  • Fortune Society, Queens, 15 units;
  • Project Hospitality, Staten Island, 15 units;
  • Samaritan Village, Bronx, 15 units;
  • Odyssey House, Brooklyn, 15 units; and
  • Women In Need, Bronx, 10 units.

The first priority for this program is families living in the NYC Department of Homeless Services shelter system. Families living in other transitional housing settings are also considered to be a priority population, including the families of women who are scheduled to complete their course of treatment at an OASAS-certified intensive residential facility designed to serve women and their children.

These awards mark the third round of permanent supportive housing grants for families, a component of the New York/New York III (NY/NY III) housing program, which includes rental subsidies, intensive case management services, job development and employment counseling services, and clinical supervision of the direct service staff. The rental subsidies are based on HUD Fair Market Rental rates for one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.

“Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a major cause of homelessness,” said OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez. “It’s a vicious circle; the longer people and families remain homeless, the more severe their addiction generally becomes. Safe, affordable housing and stable living-wage employment are fundamental to successful long-term recovery.”

“As we help people to reenter society after incarceration, we have learned that safe, stable supportive housing makes a life-changing difference to people who are struggling to recover from addiction and prevent recidivism,” said JoAnne Page, Fortune Society, Inc. President and CEO.

“Staten Island is desperately in need of additional affordable housing units post Sandy, and the stress of our borough post Sandy has led to acute alcohol and drug problems that have plagued our families,” said Reverend Terry Troia, Executive Director of Project Hospitality. “This supportive housing opportunity will mean critical and life sustaining housing and support for those very Staten Islanders in need.”

“We are grateful to Governor Cuomo and OASAS Commissioner González-Sánchez for their leadership and commitment to expanding permanent supportive housing options through the State’s Medicaid Redesign process,” said Tino Hernandez, Samaritan Village President and CEO.

“A safe and secure place to live is essential for families in recovery from substance use disorders,” said Peter Provet, Ph.D., President and CEO of Odyssey House. “We are honored to work with OASAS on developing housing services for people who, with minimal support, can build on the relapse prevention strategies and behavioral changes they learned in treatment.”

“Women In Need (WIN) is honored to have been selected to provide an additional 15 units of supportive housing for families in the Bronx,” said Bonnie Stone, President and CEO of Women In Need.

Housing Line for Centers Brings Grants and Patient Health

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Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly

In a development that so far is seen mainly as benefiting treatment centers that traditionally work with the neediest clients, a growing number of addiction treatment facilities are gaining direct expertise as providers of permanent housing for individuals and families with substance use issues.

These facilities are finding that helping to meet clients’ housing needs can assist in building a stronger, more long-term relationship with these individuals, while also being potentially attractive to funders that are increasingly seeing unmet housing needs as a critical barrier to long-term recovery for persons with substance use disorders.

“Branching out into areas such as housing has completely transformed our agency from a specialty health provider to a multiservice provider capable of meeting the multiple needs of our clients,” Mark Hurwitz, CEO of Palladia, Inc. in New York City, told ADAW. “Housing is a major determinant of public health.”

Palladia in 2012 became one of five New York City treatment organizations to receive an initial round of funding under an Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) initiative to establish permanent supportive housing for families in which the head of household has a substance use disorder (see ADAW, Feb. 27, 2012). Later in the year, Palladia received a second housing grant from OASAS, under a separate housing initiative targeting high utilizers of Medicaid services such as individuals with numerous detox visits.

In all, Palladia now oversees nearly 450 units of permanent housing (some at sites it owns and the rest under scattered-site leasing arrangements), having been involved with various housing initiatives since the 1990s, said Hurwitz. Supportive housing under its control has allowed Palladia to see improvement in a situation where many of its clients were often caught in a revolving door of shelter and city jail stays.

“Many of the doctors who work with chronically ill individuals will say, ‘If I could write just one prescription, it would be for a unit of housing,’” Hurwitz said.

Assuming more control

Odyssey House was another of the five initial grantees under the OASAS housing initiative targeting families where the head of household has a substance use disorder (see ADAW, February 27, 2012). It now has received funding in two rounds of that program to secure a total of 35 apartments for families, said president and CEO Peter Provet, Ph.D.

Provet told ADAW that he believes addiction treatment agencies’ work in the permanent housing area can be successfully structured in more than one way — in fact, Odyssey House has looked into the possibility of entering a partnership venture with a housing developer in which it would lease units directly from the developer. But he does see advantages to a treatment agency building its own in-house expertise in fulfilling clients’ housing needs.

“In general, when you’re dealing with drug addiction, the more control you have, the better,” Provet said. “The addict has a way of splitting [service] systems; it’s part of the disease of addiction. The more agencies that are in the mix, the more complicated it gets to prevent that type of behavior.”

Like Palladia, Odyssey House now has a lengthy history of involvement with housing programs, having cut its teeth in this area via capital development grants from the state Office of Mental Health (OMH). Among its current projects, it is building two new housing facilities in the Bronx that each will serve 60 individuals with serious mental illness.

The OASAS project for which Odyssey House has secured funding for 35 apartment units targets chronically homeless families — Provet says those who benefit from the program are required to have been homeless for at least one year in the past two years.

Odyssey House and the other grantees under the program provide case management and wraparound services to clients; it is not a requirement of the grant program that grantees be delivering direct treatment services to clients that are receiving the housing. Clients are required to contribute a portion of their earnings/benefits toward rent.

Provet said that while it is important to recognize the importance of housing to a stable recovery, he believes the addiction treatment field must guard against buying into the assumption that secure housing and wraparound services alone will suffice for every individual.

“We don’t want to replace treatment with housing,” Provet said. “Housing is not treatment. In the past, some thought long-term residential was for everyone, and now we need as a field to be mindful of this pendulum swinging in the other direction. Housing with wraparound services makes sense for many, but not for all.”

Palladia’s Hurwitz is finding that payers and providers are generally shifting their thinking from seeing the treatment experience as a separation of patients from the community toward a vision of seeing treatment integrated into the community with a variety of social supports. In its staff’s being able to address a wider variety of the interconnected issues that can contribute to poor outcomes, Palladia “helps [clients] have a long-term trusting relationship with us through our staff, who can connect them with services and people,” Hurwitz said.

Public vs. private

To this point, it appears that direct involvement in permanent housing initiatives has captured more attention among treatment facilities that largely serve a lower-income population. Michael Walsh, president and CEO of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), told ADAW that he hasn’t heard of any NAATP member organizations moving to develop permanent housing for clients they’re serving.

Yet he added that he believes this could become part of more treatment centers’ plans in the future, for two reasons: because it would allow facilities to keep in closer contact with clients and therefore do a better job of tracking long-term outcomes, and because it is possible that permanent housing might ultimately generate less opposition from local communities.

Provet brought up another interesting twist to the discussion of permanent housing on the public-sector side. With the OASAS initiative for families targeting the homeless, one question that has arisen involves whether time spent in residential treatment for addiction should be considered a period of homelessness. Provet said his organization would interpret that period as being part of the homelessness stage, but he added that state and city regulations in New York appear to argue otherwise. •

Odyssey House Grant Focuses on Teens and Their Families

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Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly

Last month Odyssey House received a three-year grant from the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) for the program’s Bronx Outpatient Clinic. The OASAS grant is funded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is aimed at serving adolescents who have a substance use disorder, as well as their families.

The grant was one of two grants made in the entire state — Odyssey House “downstate” and Citizen Advocates, Inc., based in Franklin County in northern New York, “upstate.” Each grant will expand treatment to 200 additional adolescents over the course of the three-year period.

“The unique needs of young people are often overlooked by mainstream treatment providers,” said OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez in announcing the awards. “We need to improve access to treatment for adolescents and the quality of that treatment by expanding the use of nationally recognized evidence-based programs.”

Innovations

Like many of the treatment communities in New York City, Odyssey House has a history of working with special populations. In addition, Odyssey House focuses on innovations, said Peter Provet, Ph.D., president and CEO of Odyssey House. “We had to find innovative ways to work with these populations,” he told ADAW.

Innovations are critical, said Provet, noting that treatment programs need to always be on the lookout for new ways to treat patients. “We cannot just create factories and stamp out the same product,” he said. “There’s always a tendency to do that as an industry matures — to codify, simplify and mass-produce.” Innovations also play a role in obtaining grants such as the OASAS grant, he said.

The Bronx grant is meant to prevent ongoing drug abuse by “targeting kids where they are,” said Provet. Many prevention programs did not take this comprehensive approach in the past, he said. “You would go to a school and give lectures; you had D.A.R.E.,” he said. But the didactic approach isn’t as effective as “engaging kids on various fronts. This grant affords us the ability to go into the kids’ homes, get to know their families, go into their schools, to work with them individually, within family therapy constructs, help them keep journals, and reflect,” he said.

Work with families

The program is based on a successful model from a recently ended SAMHSA grant that Odyssey House kept going after the funding expired, explained Gary Harmon, Ph.D., Odyssey House vice president and the director of research. After an initial assessment in the clinic, counselors will work with teens ages 12 to 17 on the continued engagement with treatment over six months. “The counselors will go into the home, meet with guidance counselors at the school, do journaling, be assessed by the GAIN,” Harmon told ADAW (GAIN is an assessment tool). “We’ll be doing outreach to the schools.” Assessments will be done at six months, with a follow-up six months later.

The grant is in the South Bronx, which is the poorest congressional district in the country, said Harmon.
“When you bring high-quality evidence-based practices to these teens, it really makes an impact,” Harmon said. More than half of the teens in the program are involved in multiple systems, including juvenile justice. By looking at the patient — not just as a patient, but as a client of multiple systems all funded by the state — the impact is multiplied as well, said Provet. “We are at the matrix of criminality, substance abuse, education — all of these issues are impacting our children,” Provet said. “That’s why we’ve gotten these grants.”

The program is “labor-intensive,” said Provet, noting that it takes a lot of time and energy to reach teens and their families. “OASAS was able to get from SAMHSA enough money to support two of these grants,” he said. “I hope there will be a lot more. We have a huge teen drug problem, and we need more than two grants to address it.” •

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Odyssey House wins grant to expand adolescent outpatient services

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The Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) announced Odyssey House as the downstate recipient of a three-year, federally funded grant to expand adolescent services. Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet said: “We are proud to fulfill our mission of treating vulnerable populations of adolescents with substance use disorders and their families by expanding our Bronx-based outpatient programs, and are grateful to NYS OASAS and SAMHSA for their support in helping to meet the needs of a community we are dedicated to serving.”
In selecting Odyssey House, Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez, commented on the high needs of the adolescents in our Bronx outpatient program and their involvement in “multiple systems that include juvenile justice, child welfare, or mental health.” 

For more information, please read the OASAS press release here.

OASAS awards 5 NYC Providers Housing Grants

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New York’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) has awarded the first round of permanent supportive housing grants in New York City for families in which the head of household has a substance use disorder (SUD). The grants went to five treatment agencies that will use the funding to pay rent for these families, which are expected to be single-parent families. There will be 75 permanent supportive housing units funded with $1,875,000.The grants are for chronically homeless families and were announced last year (see ADAW, Dec. 5, 2011).New York City-based Odyssey House, one of the five grantees, has a history of helping people find places to live after treatment, and will use this grant for residents who are transitioning from treatment in one of its facilities. CEO Peter Provet, Ph.D., welcomed the support for families in treatment, saying one of the biggest barriers to recovery is where people will live after treatment.

Almost 60 percent of Odyssey House residents are homeless when they are admitted, although most are single adults who are not eligible for these units. For these single adults, Provet noted that many are “technically homeless but have a few options in terms or relatives or former relationships.” Part of treatment includes “mending past relationships, in particular with family members,” he told ADAW. “So the majority of these people go back to living with family members.” Still, 20 apartments will not be enough to fill the need.

Transfer From OTDA

The OASAS funding comes from a transfer from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), which was appropriated $1,875,000 in the fiscal year 2011 budget for supportive housing, said Jannette M. Rondo, spokeswoman for OASAS. The language accompanying the appropriation stated that the money could be made available to OASAS or other state agencies through a transfer or sub-allocation. “OASAS expressed interest in these funds and no other agency came forward seeking access to these funds,” said Rondo.

All five of the grantees are based in New York City and certified by OASAS to provide treatment services, and are also working with OASAS currently in providing permanent supportive housing to homeless people with SUDs.

Target Populations

The primary target population for the new grants is families living in OTDA homeless shelters, which are funded with federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) money. These family shelters are transitional housing facilities with an expected length of stay of about one year, with on-site staff supervision as well as child care and social services, said Rondo. About 92 percent of these families consist of single mothers with several children; the remaining 8 percent are mothers and fathers or fathers heading the household.

The second priority population for the grants — the group that will be served by Odyssey House — are women who entered OASAS-certified residential treatment programs with their children when they were homeless; the average length of stay to completion is also 9 to 12 months.

The families do not need to go into treatment first if they have remained in the family shelter for at least six months, said Rondo. “They are considered stabilized,” she said. In addition, all families who participate in the initiative will be given access to OASAS-certified outpatient treatment as well as recovery support services through the Recovery Community Centers now in New York City, some of which are funded by OASAS and some by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Long-Term Support

The first round of the housing initiative funds 75 apartment units with fiscal year 2012 money. Funding for a second round, which would support another 60 units, is included in the governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2013, and would be supported by an additional $1.5 million. By March 31, 2013, OASAS expects to have 135 family apartments fully operational with ongoing funding of $3,375,000. OASAS expects that there will be additional new funding rounds in coming years. New York’s commitment to funding housing for homeless people with SUDs started in 2006.

The family housing initiative is not time-limited — the state and New York City are committed to continue the program “as long as there is documented community need,” said Rondo. State funds are always subject to the annual budget appropriation process.

The process is “turn-key,” which means that the families will assume the responsibilities of signing a lease and paying the rent with a private landlord, said Rondo.

The supportive housing apartment units are not certified by OASAS; they are not transitional residential treatment “beds.” Rather, the units must have passed Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing quality standards, said Rondo. All buildings must have a documented Certificate of Occupancy, and the number of occupants per apartment must not exceed HUD standards in terms of ages and gender of children.

Some of the units are “scattershot” in nature, rather than all in the same building, reflecting the challenge of finding a single building in New York City. However, the grantees will find units that are as close together as possible so that families can support one another, said Provet.

The grant will help Odyssey House pay the rent for the 20 apartments as well as hire a case manager, a vocational counselor, and a clinical supervisor, said Provet. He said there is typically no problem with landlords accepting these residents, partly because they know the rent will be paid on time, and because the residents have “good behavior.”

Block Grant?

In 2014, when the Affordable Care Act kicks in, OASAS expects that the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant, which now must be used for treatment, will be committed to OASAS-run supportive housing, said Rondo. “However, it is not clear at this time whether SAMHSA will allow block grant monies to pay for ongoing rental subsidies in addition to paying for the costs of operational staff and support staff,” she said. Block grant funding is not allowed to be used for rental subsidies under current law.

OASAS is aware of the need for supportive housing programs outside of New York City. Currently, the OASAS housing portfolio includes about 200 family apartment units in the balance of the state, with most of them funded primarily through HUD grants that pay for the rental subsidies in combination with OASAS state aid monies that pay for case management and other supportive services in those programs.

“One of the critical elements of helping individuals to maintain their recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is stable housing,” said OASAS Commissioner Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez in announcing the grants Feb. 13. “This grant provides a great opportunity to help them to rebuild their lives and provide a home for their families.”

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will procure the additional units.

Winning Grantees

The five agencies identified to receive the OASAS awards are:
• Housing+Solutions (10 units in Brooklyn, $250,000)
• Women in Need (20 units in Manhattan, $498,900)
• Palladia (10 units in the Bronx, $250,000)
• Odyssey House (20 units in the Bronx, $499,900)
• BASICS (15 units in the Bronx, $374,925)

Odyssey House wins housing award

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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.

Graduates prove that treatment works

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Odyssey House staff, current and former residents, and friends and family members recently gathered at the Manor Family Center to commemorate a significant milestone in our residents’ recovery: graduation.

The ceremony included opening remarks by Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet, a keynote speech by NYS Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse ServicesCommissioner Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, and the presentation of the CASAC of theYear award to recreational services coordinator Andre Matthews.



From left: Odyssey House COO John Tavolacci, Andre Matthews,
Commissioner Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, and Dr. Peter Provet

In his address to the graduates, their families, staff, and supporters, Dr. Provet called the event “a night of achievement,” both for the men and women who have overcome addiction and are now pursuing healthy and productive lives, and the continued role of long-term residential treatment in saving the lives of individuals with life-threatening substance abuse problems.

“With national healthcare reform well underway, all forms of substance abuse treatment are under review and discussion … there must always be a place for intensive residential treatment. You here today are living examples of its life-saving value.” (To read the full text of Dr. Provet’s remarks, click here.)

Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez recognized Odyssey House as an “innovative national leader” in the treatment field. “Odyssey House is always in the forefront of developing new systems of care for the betterment of the people we serve.” Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez also congratulated the graduates, saying, “Your recovery is a tribute to your strength and it is a tribute to programs like Odyssey House.”

Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez also presented the CASAC of the Year award to Andre Matthews, thanking him for his service and dedication to New Yorkers with substance use and mental health problems. Click here to see the video.

Cross-agency collaboration provides coordinated care to Bronx families

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A new program with the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) has allowed Odyssey House to expand its outpatient services to additional families and children in the Bronx. The partnership places a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) from Odyssey House into the ACS facility.

This cutting edge service approach integrates coordinated care to the children and families affected by substance abuse in the child welfare system. The benefits of such a partnership include seamless care and safety coordination as well as the elimination of barriers in accessing substance abuse treatment.

The enhanced services were introduced at a joint meeting of regional managers and key staff from ACS, Odyssey House, and New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) on July 18th.


Pictured from left to right: Ronald Bridges, Deputy Director, Bronx Division of Child Protection (DCP); Ranji Lachmansingh, Clinical Supervisor, Odyssey House Outpatient Services; Dr. Gary Harmon, Vice President & Director of Research and Grants, Odyssey House; Charita Thomas, Acting Borough Commissioner, Bronx DCP; John Tavolacci, EVP & Chief Operating Officer, Odyssey House; Frances Carrero, Deputy Director of Administration, ACS; Lisa Bolling, Deputy Director, FSU; Ana Garcia, Child Welfare Coordinator, Odyssey House Outpatient Services; Monette Sachs, Director, Division of Substance Abuse Policy and Planning, ACS; Sharon Cadiz, Director, Clinical Consultation Program, ACS; Robert Anderson, Director of Adolescent, Outpatient and Admissions Services, Odyssey House; and Lureen McNeil, Deputy Director of NYC Operations and Director of NYS Recovery Services, OASAS

Join us on May 10th for Your Story Matters Day

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Celebrate Your Story Matters Day with Odyssey House, the Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), NYS legislators and hundreds of recovery supporters this Monday in Albany. We’ll be sending a number of our residents to this second annual recovery rally and press event, hosted by OASAS.

Your Story Matters Day celebrates New Yorkers who are living successful, meaningful lives in recovery and highlights their dedication to breaking the cycle of addiction. It’s an important part of OASAS’s Your Story Matters campaign, which seeks to reduce stigma and raise awareness that “prevention is proven, treatment works and recovery is real.”

Two former Odyssey House residents were selected to share their inspiring stories as part of the campaign – LaQuanda and Kristina. Read their stories here or post one of your own.

If you’d like to join us, download the flyer here. And if you can’t make it, check back after the event for photos!