Ce coiffeur anglais coupe les cheveux des sans-abri gratuitement dans la rue

Publié par Maxime le 30 Mar 2019 à 13:00

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Yesterday, I ran into Mathew again. We first met in the summer of 2017 in a park not far from this spot, in Central London. Mathew’s been away for a while since we last saw one another. He had his head down but I recognised him. Mathew – “Yeh, I remember – You cut my hair! And for my friend Luke also. It was summer wasn’t it..? I haven’t seen Luke for ages. We were really close. I miss him. He just disappeared one day about a year ago and I have no idea where he is… I find it difficult to get close to people. There’s nobody in particular that I reach out speak with. Things are up and down. Some days are worse than others. The small things that happen each day can help though… Like, I know I’m not all that approachable. I’ve never been very confident socially. But, when people do take the time to have a conversation, it means something. Everyone needs different things in their life. But having someone to listen to you is important for everybody.” #DoSomethingForNothing

A post shared by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Dec 18, 2018 at 2:18pm PST

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This is Joshua, 24 years old. We met a few days ago on Venice Beach Boardwalk, CA. Joshua saw me cutting hair for someone else near the beach and walked over shyly to ask if he could be next. When I began cutting, Joshua spoke softly and slowly. His whole demeanour was introverted. He’d seldom look me in the eyes. I didn’t push for conversation. I just listened to what he wanted to say – “I’ve been wanting to get rid of this beard for the last couple weeks. It’s hard to find the chance to shave out here and it’s been so hot here recently. I was sleeping in a tent for a few months until it was removed in a ‘routine clean up.’ Before Venice I was staying in Torrance, near Redondo Beach. I had a room and was getting some help to pay for that. I was born in Louisiana but I left home early on. I didn’t have it all that easy growing up. But, I don’t like to talk about it all that much. You don’t have a choice where you land in this world…” As Joshua left, We hugged and I caught his eyes. We didn’t have all that much conversation, or get to know a huge amount about one another, but we shared something. I felt someone that had conceded more pain than he’d inflicted. He was so humble throughout. #DoSomethingForNothing

A post shared by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Sep 3, 2018 at 2:44pm PDT

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This is Jonathan. I met him a few days ago in Overtown, Miami. I visited the same area as I did on my last trip here. It was hot out. 87°F and high humidity. Jonathan was laying down on the sidewalk in the shade, next to a man that I recognised. We began talking – “I stopped here to sleep last night. I came by on my bike and saw an old friend, so I pitched up here. I’ve been living on the streets for two years now. I grew up in Little Haiti, not to far from here. There’s plenty of people that I still know around the place but calling someone a friend is a whole other thing… I‘m 37, life wasn’t always like this. I had money to live comfortably and I wasn’t selfish with it. I used to work so much that at the end of the week I just wanted to go out and have a good time. I never thought about putting money away. But all of that stuff becomes clearer with hindsight…” #DoSomethingForNothing

A post shared by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Aug 20, 2018 at 1:26pm PDT

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This is Stoney. I met her while the @monatgratitudeofficial team and I were out together in Washington D.C. Stoney and her partner have been sleeping on the streets here for the last few months. They showed up pushing a trolley full of their belongings. Stoney is from upstate New York and was looking to get back to that area soon. “I wanna get back towards home. It’s been difficult for us here. Some people are kind but so many are out to get you. We’re always getting moved on. I know that I don’t look approachable, but I don’t bite. The truth is I’m angry. I’m angry at so many things. I have a past. Most people have ghosts on their closet. I can’t tell you I’ve always been a great person, but I can’t tell you it’s always been easy.” Stoney’s anger preceded the calmer, gentle side I saw after spending an hour talking. This is similar with so many of people I meet. I’ve always gotta check myself to stay open when I can feel someone’s aggression. Everybody has shitty days. Those kinds of days are usually amplified when you’re sleeping in a doorway, or in tunnel underneath a highway. There’s nowhere to hide those emotions. Shutting the door to world for a while isn’t an option. It’s worth thinking about, I guess. #DoSomethingForNothing

A post shared by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Sep 6, 2018 at 2:28pm PDT

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This is Timothy. I saw him sitting next to a payphone near Elephant & Castle tube station. As I approached, I watched as he spoke to those that passed him by. This is a busy and noisy area of south London, Timothy went unacknowledged. As I got closer, I could hear that he was saying ‘hello’ or ‘how are you?’ I sat down and began to have a conversation. “I don’t enjoy doing this. It takes a lot to keep smiling when most people don’t even see you. I struggle to ask for money. Of course I need it, it just doesn’t feel good. Hostels charge you over a tenner a night. Getting in there is better than sleeping out here. I’ve been on the street for over a year now. Last winter was awful, and the heat this summer hasn’t been easy. Anyway, where are you from?” We walked around the corner to a quieter spot for Timothy’s haircut, it was nice to relax and hear more from him. “I could tell you my story, but I can’t get too deep. It’s difficult. I grew up in Surrey. I was in care by the time I was 13 and spent my teenage years moving from place to place. I was rebellious, I can see that now. I’m thankful that I got someone cared enough to put me through my training to become a scaffolder. That grounded me for a while.” I could see that they’d been some hard times between now and then. It was cool to see Timothy light up afterwards. One of his friends passed by and looked twice, before saying – “Bloody hell Tim! I didn’t recognise you” As I walked him back to his spot, I asked him for his message – “We’re all human. Don’t look down on people. Be happy.” #DoSomethingForNothing

A post shared by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Aug 12, 2018 at 2:43pm PDT

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This is Michael. I met him today on a side street, between two busy areas of East London. I sat down next to him for a minute and he began speaking with me – “Mate, do you have the time? Thanks. I have to go to the hospital later today. My foot is killing me. It’s been that way for over a month. I know it’s an infection but I’ve been scared to check it out. Some days the pain is so much I can hardly walk.” Michael grew up in Liverpool before moving to Kent, then London at twelve years old. I asked him about childhood memories – “Oh in a mansion. Of course…” he laughed. “I lived on a council estate with my mum and my sister. Well, my dad was around until I was six, before he left. I’ve never seen him again since… I’ve thought about that lot… I still don’t know the reason why. My mum took care of us though, she did what she could to bring us up. I saw it.” Michael has been sleeping on the streets for seven months. He was living in South London before – “I had a flat in West Norwood and was working at a butchers nearby. That’s something I always done since being a teenager. I’ve had other jobs but that was what I did after leaving school. I remember those early mornings. They took some getting used too, but I enjoyed it.” I saw how little weight Michael had on his body. I knew there was something else that was eating away at him – “I’ve been on a prescription of Methadone for two years… I can remember the first time that someone offered my heroin. I pretended everything was ok for a while and got on with living ‘a normal life’. It was only ever a matter of time before it caught up with me. I got clean, at least that’s something. But there’s still a way to go…” #DoSomethingForNothing

A post shared by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Jul 22, 2018 at 2:06pm PDT

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This is Richard. He looked up and smiled at me from where he sat on the pavement, on a busy street in Manchester, asking if I had any spare change. I didn’t, but I asked if I could sit down with him for a while instead. It felt like an especially busy afternoon. It was loud. People were spilling out of pubs nearby. Both Manchester football clubs were playing that afternoon and you could feel it. I let Richard know I had my clippers on me and that I could give him a haircut. He broke into a smile. I began setting up and we continued talking. – “I grew up in a small town in the south of Ireland. You probably won’t have heard of it. But wow, it’s a beautiful and green part of the country. I came to England with my family when I was younger. There were many reasons for us to make our way over here and of course, I was too young to understand them at the time. I’ve had a strange life I suppose. But perhaps everyone can say that… I’ve struggled as lot with being let down by the people I love. I’ve learnt to deal with that. See, family can stick together like glue in so many ways, but when push comes to shove, that’s when it really counts. I’m speaking in tongues I know… I’m sorry. I just can’t talk about everything… Anyway, so here I am. I’ve been back and forth on the streets for many years now. My drinking has always taken the best of me. Believe me, I’ve tried to actively change my ways in the past. I’m not so sure if I could do that anymore… It’s not about getting drunk. It’s a remedy for what’s inside me.” #DoSomethingForNothing

A post shared by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Oct 2, 2018 at 2:45pm PDT

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his is Dennis, 47 years old. I met him, and his girlfriend Tiana, outside of Union Station in Washington, D.C when I was out cutting hair on the streets there recently. I began speaking to them to ask directions and we ended up spending the next few hours together. The love they shared was evident straight away. I noticed it in the small ways they behaved. They would answer each other’s questions, before letting the other person speak and exchanging a smile. They held hands as we walked together. Dennis told me the story of how they met – “Believe it or not, we met in the library. I used to spend more time in there in the winter when it’s really cold. Tiana was sat opposite me. We caught eyes and jus clicked. Sometimes it just works like that. We both had an idea that the other person was homeless because we’d seen each other around before. It’s precious to meet someone in this situation. I’ve been living on the streets for two years now but things changes when we met seven months ago. She comes first before me. I’ll do everything that I can do within my means right now.” Dennis and Tiana make and sell jewellery on the street to try and make money where they can. Tiana left for five minutes, before returning to show me everything she had made – “We both do what we can to make this work for now. We want to get inside somewhere before the winter comes.” There are some people with whom you instantly connect. Dennis was one of those people for me. On a busy day, we saw each other. #DoSomethingForNothing

A post shared by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Sep 17, 2018 at 1:51pm PDT