Odyssey House has been helping people beat their drug and alcohol addictions for 40 years.
And for 32 of those years its public face was the imposing figure of its chief executive officer, James Pitts.
Mr Pitts made sure that everyone in Macarthur and indeed the south west region knew about the good work Odyssey House was doing out of its residential rehabilitation centre in Moonstone Place, Eagle Vale.
But now James Pitts has retired and Odyssey House, one of Australia’s largest and most successful drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, will mark that 40 year milestone with someone else at the helm.
Julie Babineau last May accepted the position as successor to James Pitts, who stayed on in a consulting role for six months.
On November 30, 2016 James Pitt called it a day, knowing that he was leaving Odyssey House in good hands.
Very good hands.
♦ “It was important for me that the transition from James to me went smoothly,’’ says Ms Babineau.
Indeed the timing of the change to a new CEO could not have been better for Odyssey House.
Both federal and state governments had recently announced plans to inject more money into the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction.
Ms Babineau’s experience, gained from a distinguished 30 year public service career, will be key as Odyssey House seeks a slice of those funds to help more people.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“When the board hired me, the idea of having someone with 14 years in government in NSW as well as experience working with the Commonwealth Government here and in Canada, doesn’t hurt,’’ she says.[/social_quote]
“The bureaucracy is incredible, but once you’ve navigated it it’s easier.
“So that experience is important, and the bureaucracy, now they look at me and I’m in the NGO (Non Government Organisations) sector and they’re happy.
“It’s about having a professional body to be able to deal with as well from their point of view.
“They’re accountable to the minister, so when they give the money and there’s a contract they need to make sure we’re going to deliver the contract,’’ Ms Babineau says.
“The state and federal government are offering money for alcohol and drug services, something which hasn’t happened in over 20 years, and we’ve been tendering and we’re preferred in some, but we’re not there yet.
“So the story we have is that we can do even more for the community, the whole place, but we don’t have money just for here in Macarthur, we have money from the State and the Commonwealth.
“But I will tell you that the majority of the people we help are from the area.’’
♦ The residents of Odyssey House are hard at work tending to the grounds and gardens at Eagle Vale when I arrive at 10am on a warm February morning.
They are quietly working away, raking leaves and pruning edges while I conjure up images of monks at a monastery who have taken a vow of silence.
Which is not so silly because indeed this place used to be a Catholic monastery before Odyssey House occupied it.
I also find out later that learning gardening skills is an important part of the rehabilitation program of the “residents’’.
But first things first.
Julie Babineau greets me inside the two storey building and soon after introduces me to Amy, a long term resident who will give us a tour of the place.
We visit the large communal lounge room first, which Amy says is where key group meetings take place, where residents reflect, review and plan for the next cycle in the life of Odyssey House.
This is one of the places where they encourage each other on the path of personal growth and improvement.
We then walk through a large and spotlessly clean kitchen, which is manned by residents, who do all the cooking and cleaning work.
Then it’s off to Odyssey House’s own school.
We meet the principal, Ted, and one of his teachers. Ted explains they mainly teach residents numeracy and literacy skills, but also computer skills in a second classroom.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We try to play our part in getting them ready for life after Odyssey House,’’ Ted says.[/social_quote]
Same as the garden work outside, they gain skills which can help them turn their lives around.
The sleeping quarters are on the first floor and are segregated, with the women in the west wing and the men on the east.
They each have their own kitchen, lounge and toilet facilities, while the names of each of the current residents are written outside on the doors of the bedrooms.
Amy then walks us out of the main building and across a beautifully kept garden to another building which contains two large homes.
That is where parents with various problems undergo rehab but are allowed to have their children stay with them.
I ask Ms Babineau who takes the children to school and she says: “the residents do, their parents, it’s their responsibility’’.
Odyssey House of course helps make the arrangements with local schools – residents aren’t all local, they come from all over Sydney, NSW and other states of Australia.
Once the tour is over we thank Amy, and Ms Babineau and I head upstairs to a small board room for the main interview for the story.
♦ Odyssey House has helped almost 37,000 people in 40 years and I ask Ms Babineau where the organisation is headed under her leadership as it embarks on the next 40 years.
“James built the foundations really well and he developed the program really well, and now it’s about building on that, saying there’s different needs out there, maybe be more efficient to help more people, as society expects more from us,’’ Ms Babineau says.
“I believe we could help more people, that’s something I want to do, help more people that are addicted to drugs or alcohol.
“The residential rehab we have is one answer.
“What we are trying to do right now, and I am working with the board and the staff, is doing some day programs.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Some people want to get help but can’t come into residential rehab for nine months or a year so what we want to do is offer a program that can help them.[/social_quote]
“Say to them, yes, we can help you with your problem, we can offer group therapy, we can do counselling.
“So we’re building a day program that is going to be based on helping people who can’t get into residential rehab, but also help them with recovery, so relapse prevention as well.
“We are already doing this in the Campbelltown area but it’s a very small service with very little funding.
“Right now we’re hoping we’re going to have more funds to be able to help a lot more people,’’ Ms Babineau says.
The money, that’s right. Bottom line.
Where’s the money coming from, Ms Babineau?
“There are three sources for the money to expand our services to help more people,’’ she responds.
“One, the federal government and we’re hoping we’re going to get some of that money – we’re working really hard at trying to get some of that money, we’re working really hard with the South West Sydney Primary Health Network (PHN).
“Two, the NSW government has also announced $75 million for drug and alcohol over the next four years.
“But we’re not going to apply for everything, just for our residential rehab and day programs,’’ Ms Banineau says.
“That was always the plan, build on what we’ve got.’’
There was a third source of funds to help Odyssey House cover its operating costs.
It’s not where most of its money comes from, but in some ways it’s the most important: fundraising via community functions.
Most important because it brings Odyssey House in close touch with the community it operates amongst.
And this year it’s even more special with plans in the pipeline to mark the 40 year journey of Odyssey House.
“And that is why I make an effort to be here as often as possible,’’ Ms Banineau says.
“I am also now part of the Macarthur Club – Jim Marsden came to me and said, ‘Julie, we need to introduce you’.
“We work with the local Rotary clubs as well; we’ll help them when they have barbecues and they will come and help us as well.
“We have a lot of these linkages with Campbelltown, not only with James or me but also with the residents.
“So I am getting involved here, but also because we have a story to tell.
“We want to focus on growing our services here in Campbelltown.’’
♦ To come to Odyssey House, Ms Babineau left a top job with the NSW public service where she was in charge of hundreds of staff and a $200 million budget.
Why? To make a difference to people who fall through the cracks.
It’s a cliché but her determined look when she explains how it can be achieved leaves me in no doubt she means it.
“What brought me here was the people we help, because people often give up on them,’’ Ms Babineau says.
“What I hope to do is build more partnerships, because I would like to see that when people leave our treatment they have a place to go for a job, and they have a place to live.
“The reason people go back into addiction after leaving a place like here is because they go back to the same environment, back to the same behaviour.
“So it’s about changing that behaviour and the environment they go to after treatment.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“If you go back to live with your mate and have no job, chances are you’ve got to be really strong not to go back into the addiction,’’ she says.[/social_quote]
“Odyssey House is working really hard at finding people jobs, and I would like that to be part of people coming here, not a guarantee, but know that you will have a job at the end of it.
“So it’s about building partnerships to help us help our residents – help more people.
“We have partnerships with two or three companies now that will hire our people, and I would hope that in five years we will have two really good streams and more good partnerships.
“We can help a little bit more, on housing, jobs, education for some, and with prevention do more in our day program to help with the recovery path.
“And we should also have another cottage to be able to help more families here.’’
The Odyssey House Admissions and Intake Centre can be contacted on 9281 5144 (no referral is necessary) or visit their website here.
