Tony Endre, 2014 September 30

Containers:

Box 1

Scope and content:

Endre discusses the evolution and subsequent decline of the therapeutic community model. He details the establishment of Odyssey House in 1967. He chronicles his tenure at both Phoenix House and New York City's Addiction Services Agency, describing life as a City employee. He narrates his involvement in setting up new facilities, and how he ran them.

Interview by Lance Thurner.

Biographical / historical:

Tony Endre, a Brooklynite by birth and upbringing, was the principle founder of Odyssey House and went on to have a long career in addiction services in and around New York City. Over the course of four decades, Tony worked at nearly all of the leading institutions, including the City's Addiction Services Agency, Phoenix House, Odyssey House, Samaritan House, APPLE, and Daytop Village. At Phoenix House, he was the director at Hart Island for many years, and later served as director at the Long Island City facility. Of modest education, Tony's expertise came from his experience as an addict and criminal in his early adulthood, and then from his experience of recovery with a group of ex-addicts in the detox ward of Metropolitan Hospital.

Access and use