走訪各地免費為無家者剪髮英髮型師盼拉近人與人距離

為無家者發聲。

街上的露宿者往往很容易受人忽視，途人即使見到也會避之則吉。英國一名髮型師4年前發起名為「DoSomethingForNothing」項目，在街上為露宿者免費剪髮，整理外表儀容，又會聆聽他們的故事和感受。他說，只想把人與人連結起來。

現年32歲的英國髮型師Joshua Coombes自2015年起，走訪印度、法國、美國等多個國家，為露宿者免費剪髮。他說，一開始只是單純的想為社區做點事，但開始了這個項目後，就索性辭掉全職工作，投入到為露宿者服務。

Joshua表示，雖然他每次剪髮後，都會為這些露宿者塑造一個耳目一新的新形象，但他認為最重要的並不是新髮型，而是為這班常被忽略的人所付出的時間。每次剪完髮，Joshua都會在社交網站上分享他們的故事。

今年1月，Joshua在巴黎街道為一名來自羅馬尼亞的露宿者剪髮。他在Instagram上發文分享，這名男子名為Florin，上年在巴黎旅遊時突然中風留院，醒來卻發現遺失了護照和電話，又想不起發生過甚麼事。由於沒有證件，他不能回國，只能等待羅馬尼亞大使館的協助，故被迫流落街頭。Joshua說，Florin跟他們分享了讓生命快樂的事情，令他們感到很窩心，兩人又約定了要在羅馬尼亞再聚。

在 Instagram 查看這則貼文

Whilst in Paris recently, I walked back to the same street where I once visited my late friend, Cedric. I always go back to this spot when I’m in the city. One street away from where he used to sleep, I met Florin. Florin came to Paris from Romania late last year. He’s worked in construction jobs for most of his life, but recently, steady employment became difficult, so he left for job opportunities elsewhere. He only spoke a small amount of English. But thankfully, one of Jaz’s (@theworldwidetribe) good friends, Joanna, is Romanian, so she help us communicate over the phone. When Florin came to Paris, things took an unexpected turn... He experienced a stroke that left him in hospital for a week. When he woke, Florin no longer had his passport or phone with him and had no memory of what happened... Without his documents, He had no way to travel back home so began sleeping on the streets... When we met Florin, he was waiting for an appointment with the Embassy of Romania and was in limbo for the foreseeable. Florin told us what makes him happy in life. It was was so good to meet that day. His warmth really shone through as we spent more time together. So much so that he insisted that we visit him in Romania when he manages to get back there. One realistic goal we can all have is to be more aware and present for those around us who might feel isolated. I saw the difference it made in Florin that someone noticed him and listened. Nothing should get in the way of the connection you can make with another human being and the potential is has to help them and, in turn, help yourself. #DoSomethingForNothing

Joshua Coombes（@joshuacoombes）分享的貼文於 PST 2019 年 1月月 29 日下午 12:22 張貼

Joshua更發文悼念一位已離世的露宿者Cedric。他憶及，Cedric有一個很大的笑容，讓他感到很溫暖。Cedric本來在圖書館工作，但因為圖書館倒閉而失業，加上房子加租，無力承擔租金的他唯有到街上露宿。Joshua形容，Cedric已成了他的兄弟，會永遠記著二人分享過的時光，又指「不會停止向新朋友打開心扉」。

在 Instagram 查看這則貼文

I’ll never stop opening my heart to new people... A stranger who became a brother to me. Cedric died last year, aged 45. I’m forever grateful for the connection we shared. I first met Cedric in Paris in 2017. At the time, he’d been sleeping on the street for three years. He had a handwritten sign - ‘Vote for me in 2020’ - As soon as I said hello, a big smile appeared. An hour later, I’m handing Cedric the mirror to see his new hairdo. We hung out all day there, listening to punk music and swapping stories. Here’s some of Cedric’s words - “I lived in London for some years with my girlfriend. I remember the carnivals so well, I loved my time there. I wanted to stay in London, but when my girlfriend and I broke up, I came back to Paris. That’s when things went downhill… I had a job at a library. It didn’t pay much but I enjoyed it. One day, I found out the library was closing. We lost our jobs. The rent on my place had already gone up. I started drinking more. I can see now I was depressed...I stopped caring. It wasn’t long before I spent my first night outside. A few months later, I visited Cedric again. After a big hug, I noticed Cedric had a black eye - "There’s so many good people in the day, but at night it can change...There's a bar over there that stays open really late. There was a fight with two men and a woman. It's my fault for saying something, when I did, I got punched.” Cedric had a meeting for some help to get into a room a few days prior. He attended but didn't hear back - "I'm trying and always listening for places, it's not easy. Any weeks with a step forward usually comes with more steps back. I never planned to be here...I hope one day there is another chapter. The third time I visited was different. A mural, painted by the amazing @christianguemy for a beautiful soul, no longer with us. I'm going to continue to make people visible the best I can. I know Cédric would have liked that he played a big part in giving others light also. Making mistakes is human. I don’t forget that. I've seen how love can change people. Listen to The Clash and keep dancing my brother. #DoSomethingForNothing

Joshua Coombes（@joshuacoombes）分享的貼文於 PST 2019 年 2月月 6 日下午 1:29 張貼