It’s cheaper for the police, for the ambulance service, for hospitals and, significantly, saves money from not putting people in jail.

Odyssey House Victoria chief executive Stefan Gruenert said work done at its centre near Benalla had played a vital role in the region’s battle with the ice crisis.

The six-week, live-in Circuit Breaker Program caters for up to 15 adults at a time.

Previous studies have praised its success rate of about 80 per cent of its participants either ceasing or significantly reducing their use of drugs or alcohol.

“We understand that investing in drug treatment makes a lot of sense,” Dr Gruenert said. “And it helps get people’s lives back in order. We’ve had an incredibly successful program since we opened up at Benalla.”

Dr Gruenert said it was quite clear that Circuit Breaker had been “a great service” for the Hume region and surrounding areas.

“We have very strong demand and a lot of people seeking help around their ice addiction,” he said.

“We want to be there to be able to support them and help get their lives back on track.”

Dr Gruenert said local, short-term programs where people got to stay in their communities was “very much needed”.

He pointed to statistics that showed Victoria had between a third and a quarter of the number of treatment beds in NSW.

Dr Gruenert said it was an understatement that the $1.2 million program cost was money well spent.

“Residential rehabilitation has shown to be much cheaper than prison programs,” he said.

“And it has much better outcomes.”

The program gives each resident access to a variety of professional staff, as well as people who have beaten their addictions.

Odyssey House staff developed treatment plans.