The Victory House of Kankakee received its final approval on a conditional use permit clearing the way for the operation of the halfway house. The permit for the property at 152 S. Greenwood Ave., was approved by a 13-1 vote.
The Victory House of Kankakee received its final approval on a conditional use permit clearing the way for the operation of the halfway house. The permit for the property at 152 S. Greenwood Ave., was approved by a 13-1 vote.
KANKAKEE — The Kankakee City Council granted its final approval for the Victory House of Kankakee, a halfway house set to open in April.
The house will likely provide a residence for eight to 10 men recovering from alcohol and drug addictions.
The final approval for the conditional use permit was granted by a 13-1 vote. Only 4th Ward Alderman Lance Marczak voted against the permit.
Marczak said he was not against the home, but rather was against the fact that Kankakee is the only community in the area providing locations for nonprofit residences such as the Victory House.
“Kankakee shouldn’t be the only location for halfway houses and homeless shelters,” Marczak said after the meeting. “This is frustrating.”
Located in the 2,500-square-foot dwelling owned by Robert Turco at 152 S. Greenwood Ave., the nonprofit program had been in existence from 2007-2018 at the location, but had planned to move to 162 N. Washington Ave., which was being donated to them by the Diocese of Joliet.
However, that location was heavily damaged due to a fire. The program then planned to move into space along St. Joseph Avenue in east Kankakee, but that move did not take place.
The ministry has been operating without a location since 2018. Victory Home hopes to be in the South Greenwood location in March.
It wasn’t until the planned return to South Greenwood that city officials discovered the group home never gained the needed conditional use permit.
The conditional use permit to operate a group home had already been OK’d by the Kankakee Planning Board, but the final approval was needed by the city council.
Management of the home anticipates having eight to 10 occupants at the home. The men live at the location — typically for 18-24 months — work within the community and focus on their personal issues. The program is managed by Minister Mark Jones of L’SOM Ministries.
L’SOM Ministries was founded in 1999. The program began as a street ministry.
Lee Provost, an award-winning reporter, has been writing local news stories for The Daily Journal since 1988. He is a lifelong resident of the region. Provost can be reached at lprovost@daily-journal.com.
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