COLLEEN DALEY NDOYE REMOVING BARRIERS TO PEER-LED CARE.
I n 2005, Pawtucket and Central Falls were facing high rates of drug use and street-based sex work, and subsequent arrests. Struck by the dehumanizing attitude of community members—“ How can we get rid of these people?”— Colleen Daley Ndoye worked with police departments and community organizations to create a compassionate alternative to arrest.
Her solution was Project RENEW, a peer-based street outreach program for people engaged in street-based sex work. Within two years of the organization’ s services being available, prostitution arrests in Pawtucket and Central Falls dropped by 90 percent.
From the beginning, peer-led care has been central to the organization’ s model, which centers people with lived experiences in its advocacy, support and outreach efforts. Daley Ndoye has found that“ people who have the experience will often be the ones who have the most creative solutions or will have solved the problem in the past.” Today, more than 70 percent of the organization’ s staff come from similar backgrounds as the clients it serves. About a dozen of those staff members were once clients.
Not long after Project RENEW began, a similar organization, Project Weber, was founded to provide peer-based harm reduction and recovery support services to men engaged in drug use and sex work. In 2016, the organizations merged to become Project Weber / RENEW, expanding their reach to serve a broader population of people at risk of overdose or contracting HIV.
Under Daley Ndoye’ s leadership, Weber / RENEW has expanded its impact far beyond the areas it initially targeted. The organization opened the first state-sanctioned overdose prevention center in the country in 2024, placing it in a position to provide guidance to newly created centers. In 2024, Vermont passed legislation authorizing its own overdose prevention center, and organizers have sought out Weber / RENEW for technical assistance, Daley Ndoye says.
The stigma that she recognized at the very beginning of her advocacy work is ever-present for her clients, making the Providence drop-in center one of the few places where they can seek services without the risk of judgment. The organization also offers specific peer-based services for the LGBTQ + community.
By removing barriers that can often prevent people from seeking essential health services, Project Weber / RENEW gives an at-risk population access to case management, showers, laundry, onsite medical care and basic needs assistance. The organization also offers substance use disorder treatment, free syringe exchange, fentanyl test strips, safer use supplies, Naloxone distribution and safer sex resources. Daley Ndoye’ s work fills some of the gaps that traditional health care systems leave open, serving the people they often leave behind.
“ We always talk about the fact that our services are some of the first nontransactional services that people are experiencing,” she says.“ Or nontransactional relationships, where people come in and they just receive support or services or connections to care. And there’ s no expectations. There’ s no payment. We don’ t get paid per client. It’ s really just,‘ You’ re here, you’ re a human being, and we care that you exist and we want you to stay here.’”
The organization serves more than 7,000 Rhode Islanders each year who may have otherwise been forgotten.
In thinking about the impact, Daley Ndoye says,“ It’ s just a very overwhelming feeling. There’ s so many people that don’ t have just that one person or those few people that they can rely on to support them. And it’ s really been an honor to be able to be that for people.”— Julia Cote
86 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I OCTOBER 2026