'Life-saving' Project Weber/RENEW opens new location in city

PAWTUCKET – An organization with a goal of helping identify harm reduction strategies and resources for individuals in recovery has opened a new location in Pawtucket.

Last Thursday, Sept. 23, Project Weber/RENEW staff held a ribbon-cutting event at their new location at 124 Broad St. where they had already served some 200 people.

Leonela Felix, a state representative in Pawtucket, spoke at the event after working on legislation $3,000 legislative grant to support operations at the new drop-in center.

“I really want to thank Project Weber/RENEW for coming into this space, for opening up this space, and being welcoming and supportive to communities who need it the most,” Felix said. “We know there is a stigma around drug use, and we know that there is a stigma around so many different mental health issues, and they are really here on the ground doing the work to support our community, and that is really respectable and what we really need more of.”

Felix said that from personal experience, they know how hard it is to recover from addiction and that the community needs to celebrate those who are seeking the help they need as well as those who are not ready yet to seek help.

“We know that recovering from an addiction is not something that happens overnight, you can’t just simply turn on a switch, this is a lifelong issue, this is a lifelong support that is needed,” she said. “From personal experience I know I was not ready to seek that help, and it took some very drastic issues to happen in my life for me to be able to recover and for me to be able to stand here with you all today.”

Read the full article by Valley Breeze, here.