Operation Fresh Start provides clean laundry and dignity to Regina's vulnerable population

Sarah Onyango · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A laundry programme successful Regina is giving the city's astir susceptible radical and families entree to cleanable clothing.

Operation Fresh Start is portion of a task from Regina assemblage enactment Rally Around Homelessness to supply escaped laundry services successful the Queen City.

The program, which launched successful September 2024, provides vouchers that tin beryllium used to lavation apparel astatine Seaspray Laundry, 1 of the partners.

"You don't recognize however fortunate we truly are and however unfortunate immoderate others whitethorn be. Maybe their washer conscionable broke down and they don't person an other $7 to bash a load," Sherry Vester, manager astatine Seaspray Laundry, said.

By providing detergent, machines and the simple opportunity to get apparel washed, the programme is making a quality successful people's lives. 

"That's what this programme is each about, is conscionable to measurement up and assistance immoderate radical that are having misfortunes," Vester said.

Wendy Miller, enforcement manager of the Heritage Community Association, said determination are a assortment of radical who usage the program.

"It's conscionable not astir the houseless folks that perchance request their laundry cleaned. It's astir families who mightiness beryllium renting a abstraction that doesn't person a washer and dryer, oregon a moving washer and dryer," Miller said.

"So it's conscionable opening opportunities." 

Self-worth done cleaner clothing

The programme is astir changing the mode radical consciousness astir themselves. 

Organizers cognize that for those facing homelessness oregon fiscal struggles, soiled oregon worn-out covering tin beryllium a reminder of their hardship. 

"Having cleanable clothes, that helps to reconstruct a person's self-worth and self-respect, which everyone deserves to have," said Ann Perry, enforcement manager of The Circle Project.

Perry said Operation Fresh Start is restoring a consciousness of normalcy and pridefulness for radical utilizing the vouchers. 

"The hygiene products that we springiness retired arsenic good arsenic portion of our outreach, it's the aforesaid principles that radical merit to person immoderate respect and beryllium successful an situation wherever they are respected," Perry said. 

Operation Fresh Start is a continuation of the Rally Around Homelessness's 'I Got You' campaign, which collected underwear donations for those successful need.

So acold the programme has fixed retired adjacent to 300 vouchers to people and families successful the Queen City.