"One of our successful graduates and her beautiful twins"

The Odyssey Womens' and Childrens' Program has been used as a national model for recovery. The Flint Odyssey House created an award-winning program that was founded in 1990. The initial funding was denied by local funders, who thought taking care of pregnant addicts was too much of a liability. Yet, Odyssey prevailed and fought for the rights of unborn infants of pregnant addicts to be born drug-free. Odyssey is now one of the premier statewide funded facilities that has the capacity to treat women and children. Women and Children Residents qualify for our services anywhere in the state of Michigan. The program allows mother and children to reside together in an enhanced therapeutic community, which provides the structure and support for a full continum of services. Many of the residents have had prior cases with Child Protective Services.

 

The Odyssey method does not punish the child for the mother's neglect. We work with mother and children in a protective environment to monitor parenting, bonding, and we encourage the "right way of living"; "the right way of parenting" for families. A mother can enter the facility with children up to the age of 17 years old. The Odyssey method is a less intrusive way to create positive family reunification. We encourage social workers, judges, police, and community agencies to give the Odyssey Method an opportunity to heal a family of addiction before removing the children. Many children remain in the fostercare system for years. We believe that the Odyssey method gives a mother a second chance and a family a lifeline to be ressurected out of the dismal cycle of addiction. The center not only supports the mother, it also supports the child with wrap-around services for children. The children receive support from a child psychologist. They attend our state of the art educational child development center. We also have enriched afterschool activities for older children. The Odyssey method works, and transforms lives through Psychiatrically-oriented therapy, peer-to-peer accountability, character development, job training, and self-esteem classes.