NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Odyssey House Louisiana Inc. announced it will close its Sobering Center, with services ending Jan. 15, 2026, citing the loss of city funding.
The organization said it was notified Dec. 9 by the New Orleans Department of Health that the city’s 2026 budget does not include funding for the Sobering Center, prompting the decision to cease operations.
Opened in 2019, the 25-bed facility was a partnership between Odyssey House Louisiana and the city and was designed to serve individuals identified as publicly intoxicated in Orleans Parish. The center provided a monitored environment for people to sober up, reduced unnecessary emergency room visits and jail bookings, and connected individuals to longer-term substance use disorder treatment through referrals and coordinated care…