THE GOOD PLACE
Clean Slate
This grassroots organization provides free laundry vouchers to Reginans in need.
By Nicole Keen
(Top) Principal Bryan Rice of Cornwall Alternative School, Operation Fresh Start organizer Alysia Johnson and Seaspray manager Sherry Vester. (Above) Nearly 1,600 loads of laundry have been done courtesy of Operation Fresh Start and Seaspray Laundry. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ALYSIA JOHNSON
HAVING CLEAN CLOTHES TO WEAR is something many of us take for granted — but the creators of Operation Fresh Start recognized a desperate need for accessible, no-cost laundry services among Regina’s most vulnerable populations.
When the Regina outreach group Rally Around Homelessness kicked off a charitable campaign called “I Gotch You,” the volunteers handing out brand-new underwear to unhoused individuals quickly realized there was another problem to tackle.
“We can hand out new underwear every day, [but] people don’t have a way to clean them,” says community and Operation Fresh Start organizer Alysia Johnson. “[And] this isn’t just an issue that unhoused people deal with. There are families that have their water disconnected.”
Operation Fresh Start kicked off in September 2024 in partnership with Seaspray Laundry and its manager, Sherry Vester. Johnson estimates that Seaspray Laundry has provided the means to do nearly 1,600 loads of laundry to date, and detergent donations have been flowing. “We’ve got a huge stack of detergent behind the counter... [labelled] Community,” Johnson says.
“Johnson estimates that Seaspray Laundry has provided the means to do nearly 1,600 loads of laundry to date, and detergent donations have been flowing.”
Since partnering with the Heritage Community Association, Operation Fresh Start has also been able to accept financial donations and issue tax receipts. “That was a really big turning point,” Johnson says.
Fresh Start recently expanded, offering laundry vouchers through various women’s shelters and Cornwall Alternative, a local school. “Having clean laundry is such an important part of mental health and wellness,” Johnson notes. “It breaks my heart to think that there could be [kids who are] skipping school... because they don’t have something clean to wear.”
A point of pride for Johnson is the way people came together to embrace the cause. “I think the bigger-picture goal is to show community members that citizens can find solutions,” she says. “We didn’t need to go apply for a $100,000 grant. We literally were neighbours talking to neighbours.” And Johnson is happy to see Fresh Start growing, provoking conversations in other communities. “Regina is just one community in Canada,” she says. “I’m sure there are hundreds of places in Canada where something like this could work.” CAA
An Operation Fresh Start voucher can be a step in the right direction. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF ALYSIA JOHNSON
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