Vitality Homes, a North West-based abstinence recovery project, opened its doors on Wavertree Road back in 2019 and was given an initial 12 months provisional planning licence with some strict conditions.
To begin with, Vitality Homes was met with fierce opposition from local residents that were fearful of the project, leading to the venue being vandalised and many people turning out to object at the planning committee.
Fast forward a year later, and Vitality Homes’ Damien John Kelly House has been granted permanent planning after Liverpool City Council held a review of the application for the Wavertree High Street building.
The review saw no objections at all, with local residents actually praising DJK House for its presence in the local area and commended how Vitality Homes is making a huge difference and changing peoples’ lives.
Three local residents attended the virtual planning committee and over 30 others sent letters and emails of support.
Vitality Homes specialises in providing supported living and abstinence based recovery programmes. Residents of DJK House have actively engaged with the community, taking up activities surrounding arts, culture and sport, and got involved with the Love Wavertree team and the area’s Rose Garden Project.
In the last 12 months, Vitality Homes has supported 23 men in their recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
Kate Stewart, founder of Vitality Homes, said:
“We understood the initial conditions placed on Damien John Kelly House due to the opposition in the beginning, but I knew that it would only be a matter of time before we changed people’s opinions for the better.
“We can’t thank the local residents enough for allowing us to prove how positive DJK House is for the community and how essential it is in helping people on their abstinence journey’s. The whole team at Vitality Homes has worked incredibly hard over the last year and that hard work has paid off today.”
Vitality Homes’ Head of Service, Jacquie Johnston-Lynch, said:
“We’re all so grateful that the planning committee took this chance on us and gave us a year to show them and the local community that we could make something really special happen here. I couldn’t be more delighted that DJK House will be a permanent fixture in Wavertree.”
Sam, a resident of DJK House, added: “This is great news, we love living in Wavertree and getting involved with the Rose Garden Project and the Love Wavertree team. It will be great to feel more settled and be a permanent positive presence here.”
