Project Weber/RENEW opens country’s first state-sanctioned overdose prevention center

“Project Weber/RENEW’s new overdose prevention center is dedicated to saving lives through evidence-based practices and compassionate care,” said Project Weber/RENEW's Colleen Daley Ndoye.

Celebrating a historic milestone in public health and harm reduction, Project Weber/RENEW today cut the ribbon for the country’s first state-sanctioned overdose prevention center. The center’s mission is to prevent overdose deaths and connect individuals to medical and behavioral health treatment, peer support, and social services.

The ribbon-cutting marked the ceremonial opening of the center and featured remarks from Assistant Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services Ana Novais, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, Providence City Councilmember Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), the Director of Governor’s Overdose Task Force Cathy Schultz, and Project Weber/RENEW staff members Evan Timbo and Ashley Perry.

“Project Weber/RENEW’s new overdose prevention center is dedicated to saving lives through evidence-based practices and compassionate care,” said Colleen Daley Ndoye, Project Weber/RENEW’s executive director. “This building at 45 Willard Ave is not just the location for the country’s first state-sanctioned overdose prevention center. It is also the home for more than a dozen other services that will keep people healthy, safe, fed, clothed, clean, and supported. This building includes our expanded drop-in center providing case management services, HIV and hepatitis C testing and prevention, basic needs recovery, housing support, support groups for sex workers and trans and non-binary folks, as well as exciting new services, including medical care, substance use treatment, laundry, and showers.”

“Today should be a celebration because we are not just making history; we are breaking generational chains of trauma caused by preventable overdoses. We are telling the country that here in little Rhode Island, the lives of those suffering from addiction matter,” said Ashley Perry, Co-Director of the OPC & Deputy Director of Project Weber/Renew.

“I am so proud of our City today and even prouder of my South Side community,” continued Perry. “I grew up a few streets from where we are today, where some people called our low-income homes Clown Town, and some news outlets called us the epicenter of the war on drugs. From a young age, I saw that the war on drugs was always a war on communities. I saw families ripped apart by the legal system, including my own. We were terrorized and vilified for our biggest crime of being poor. I am proud to be here today and play a very small part in the true story of this neighborhood, which is one of strength and resilience, one that is playing its role in uprooting the war on drugs. Our building here will not just prevent overdose deaths but will represent hope and justice. Our community deserves health and love instead of punishment and shame.”

“I’m going to share a personal story with you all,” said Cathy Shultz. “Before I came into recovery, I lost my best friend to an overdose. She was 26 years old with three kids. The Good Samaritan law had expired. That’s why she’s not here with us. She’s not here with us because Naloxone was not available. She’s not here with us because people were afraid of law enforcement, and they were afraid of getting arrested, so she was dragged out into the hallway, and she died.

“Today marks the day we’re going to change that narrative,” continued Shultz. “We have been working so hard to change that narrative, but now, here we are with an overdose prevention center.”

This groundbreaking facility represents a pivotal moment in the effort to address the ongoing overdose crisis. It offers a safe space for individuals with immediate access to life-saving interventions and holistic wraparound services. The center is co-located with a new drop-in center and clinical suite where medical, behavioral health, and substance use treatment services will be offered by partnering organization VICTA. The overdose prevention center is authorized by Rhode Island State Law and will be licensed and regulated by the Rhode Island Department of Health.

"Providence is proud to be leading by example with the opening of the first state-sanctioned overdose prevention center in the nation," said Mayor Smiley. "The opening of this facility underscores our community’s dedication to addressing the overdose crisis with compassion and evidence-based, peer-led care. This center will save lives and offer a critical pathway to recovery for our most vulnerable neighbors. Together, we are creating real, tangible change and fostering hope as we connect those in crisis to the support they need.”

“Addiction touches us all, and in Rhode Island, we’ve had record-shattering numbers of overdose deaths. So, what we’ve been doing – day after day, month after month, year after year – is not enough,” said Providence City Councilmember Harris. “This dire situation calls for bold action, and that’s what Project Weber/RENEW’s overdose prevention center is all about. Centers like this will keep folks alive until we can all figure out how to help them turn that corner to recovery.”