Established in 2024 with charitable aims focusing on reducing health inequality in the Merseyside district, The Merseyside Affinity Project has aspiration for organic planned strategic growth with the seldom heard voices of members shaping the organisation at every level.

Directly driven by unmet place-based need and seldom heard voices, the organisation has coproduced our constitutional objectives with stakeholders and members. The MAP steering committee is underpinned with the recent recruitment of 4 volunteers with a combined 30+ years’ experience in the local substance misuse landscape.

The MAP is guided by a team of professionals with lived experience, collectively bringing expertise in the substance misuse, criminal justice systems, mental health and homelessness systems across local and regional settings.

 

Organisation History

Building healthy lives and recovering communities is what The MAP is all about. We help individuals and their families throughout the Merseyside area cope with their problems, heal themselves and move forward in a more positive direction. We know. We ‘ve walked a mile in those shoes. We understand. And we’re committed to making a difference in the lives of local people now and in the future.

Our services are free, and people can use them for as long as they want. That's what makes us different to many other support providers. We’re at the heart of the recovery community in Merseyside, and our community focussed lived experience approach ensures that Municipal Recovery in the towns we serve keeps growing.

At The MAP, we value the profound insights that lived experience with substance use brings to understanding addiction and recovery on personal, social, and systemic levels. These perspectives often reveal realities that statistics and clinical studies alone cannot fully capture.

Our steering committee and members, each with lived experience, offer authentic knowledge about the challenges, barriers, and complex journeys involved in substance use and recovery. Their voices are indispensable in designing impactful support systems, interventions, and policies.

One of the most powerful aspects of our lived experience approach is the empathy-driven, relatable support it fosters. Having navigated addiction and recovery ourselves, we can establish trust and connection with those currently facing similar struggles, bridging gaps that others may find difficult to cross. This shared experience helps to ease feelings of isolation and stigma, which are often significant obstacles to seeking help. Knowing that others have overcome similar challenges brings hope and inspires belief in the possibility of change, encouraging those affected to take critical steps toward recovery. The MAP builds vibrant, supportive recovery communities that inspire and empower.

Incorporating the lived experience of The MAP’s members is essential in shaping relevant policies and program development. Our members offer unique, real-world perspectives on what is effective and where there is room for improvement. Harm reduction initiatives, peer support programs, and treatment centres that are grounded in the experiences of those who have firsthand knowledge are more responsive and practical. Lived experience members can pinpoint service gaps, highlight bureaucratic obstacles, and shed light on needs that might be overlooked by traditional policymakers and clinicians.