Words by Smiley Team
A charity helping homeless people feel good about themselves is fundraising to continue operating – and make life on the streets a little easier.
Haircuts 4 Homeless was set up by veteran hairdresser Stewart Roberts. Inspired by the actions of hairdressers around the world, Stewart set out to build a community of skilled hairdresser volunteers who give their time free of charge to provide haircuts for people suffering from homelessness in the UK.
Hairdressers are known for having good communication skills, and cutting someone’s hair is a personal act of care that homeless people rarely get. Homeless people face so many challenges, one of them being low self-esteem – but a haircut can give them genuine boost.
Of course, it’s often not a priority for a homeless person, given the expense, but everyone deserves to feel good about themselves.
(Read about how Change Please revamped London buses for the homeless)
For the past seven years, Stewart has been travelling the country with his team and running sessions at various refuges, shelters and crisis centres.
These sessions aren’t just about providing haircuts, they're about creating safe spaces for vulnerable people to experience empathy, touch and a boost to their self esteem.
The Salvation Army Women’s refuge in Limehouse, London, said: “To have a session like this run by Haircuts 4 Homeless creates a whole day for people to get their haircut, to sit and chat, and to watch other people get their haircut. It’s really important because it creates a community feel.”
Sadly, recently Haircuts 4 Homeless have lost a significant portion of their funding, so they're no longer able to operate and provide vital services to homeless communities.
Haircuts 4 Homeless are collaborating with London based photographer Jack Eames and session hair stylist Leigh Keates to release 'Hear Me, See Me' – a large photographic coffee table book of their guests from the past two years.
(Learn more about this Art in a Box project to help the homeless)
The creation and sales of this book are paramount to the survival of Haircuts 4 Homeless. All the proceeds from each book sale will go straight back into the charity to help continue funding them, as well as spreading awareness about the essential services the charity contributes to society.
In order to do this, Haircuts 4 Homeless is asking for help to raise funds for the printing costs of the book. They need to raise £20,000 to send it to print, the sales of which will help keep them running for as long as possible – and luckily they have already exceeded their target.
You can donate to the crowdfunder for the Hear Me, See Me book to help them further their work, or find out more about the charity on its website.
