The global instability and cost of living pressure is certainly having an impact on many Victorians, across both metropolitan Melbourne and regional areas. Those seeking our services have often turned to greater use of alcohol or other drugs as a way of coping, exacerbated by the stigma and discrimination they experience daily.
The demand for Odyssey Victoria’s services continues to be greater than we have capacity to support, and the tightening of funding from State and Commonwealth government is also making it more difficult for us to expand in areas of great need.
International research has shown us that the number and severity of problems that people face increases as the divide between people who “have” and those who “don’t have” increases. We see this locally with the increasing complexity of issues faced by those who access our services.
The good news is that we are making a difference, saving and changing the lives of the 16,000 individuals we supported in the last 12 months.
85% of people who completed our client experience surveys told us that they were satisfied with our services and 74% reported reductions in their drug and alcohol issues as a result. Two thirds also reported associated improvements in their mental health.
While some of our programs offer a light touch and get people back on track quickly, we have also kept a focus on longer term programs that give people the best chance of turning their lives around to escape cycles of homelessness and unemployment, poverty, crime and family breakdown. This is hard but really important work for which we are very proud.
In this newsletter, we highlight some new programs and new sites operated by Odyssey Victoria, as well as the capital upgrades that have been made possible through support from our donors. For this we are most grateful.
Stefan Gruenert
CEO