Regina Needle Recovery and Community Support rebrands

Regina Needle Recovery and Community Support has re branded to Warriors of Hope Community Support.

Warriors of Hope Community Support will provide help finding housing, finding food, medical attention, keeping the community clean of needles, reuniting families and supplying clean harm reduction supplies to people who need them to prevent other health issues.

The new name is accompanied by a new logo and mandates for the organization, although the values have stayed the same.

“We’ve always had the value of meeting a person where they’re at,” said Nicole Niesner, executive director at Warriors of Hope Community Support.

“Are they hungry? Do they need a meal? Where are they sleeping tonight? How can we help facilitate all of that,” she explained.

The rebrand has been in the works since October and was driven by the want to ramp up the community support portion of the organization.

Shylo Stevenson, communications officer at Warriors of Hope Community Support, said their time with Camp Hope saw a lot of advocating and helping people navigate the system putting them in the place they are today.

The inspiration from Camp Hope found its way into the namesake, as well as spotlighting the organization’s hope to give people what they need for a successful and healthy life.

“Warriors” comes from the way those involved are dedicated to the hard work the volunteers put in, going to any length to help somebody.

“It does matter who we are, what we call ourselves,” said Stevenson, “It was the people that gave us our purpose.”

He said they are working, advocating and navigating for the people that need them.

The 24 hour needle recovery program is still in place, but the expansion takes the organization even further.

“Also with our community supports, we will be stepping up our harm reduction and community awareness on harm reduction,” said Stevenson, adding they will be holding mass Naloxone/Narcan training sessions so kits can be made available to the public.

Warriors of Hope Community Support has been collaborating with other like-minded organizations and agencies, such as social services and child protection, to help better distribute the workload.

She said the volunteers were “pretty burned out” after the work at Camp Hope.

“We’re learning how to share this work and not get burned out from doing it on our own,” said Niesner.

Currently Warriors of Hope Community Support is collaborating with local organizations like the Eagle Heart Centre and Carmichael Outreach.

“It’s super nice to know that there’s folks like them that are onside and that are working hard,” said Steve Fox-Smith, housing coordinator at Carmichael Outreach, “I just hope that we can continue to make each other’s jobs easier and, most importantly, the lives of those that we work with better.”

Warriors of Hope Community Support is looking to continue expanding by creating new partnerships and collaborations with other organizations and agencies.

Volunteers will wear orange uniforms with the organization’s logo.

“We believe that Orange Shirt Day should be recognized every day as many of our relatives have daily challenges not just once a year,” Stevenson said.

The organizations office space is not yet open to the public. Those in need of its services, or wanting to get involved, can reach out to them on social media.

Regina Needle Recovery and Community Support began operating in June of 2021.