Natasha Baldin/Contributor
For individuals who rely on services at Our Place, survival often comes before physical appearance.
In honour of Handsome Day, community staff and volunteers at the Victoria homeless support organization offered free haircuts and grooming services to those who need them most.
After a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual staple returned to Our Place June 16 to celebrate every male-identifying individual’s value and self-worth.
“It’s a day for guys to feel special because life can get hard, and the same thing day after day can wear you down,” said Erin Stott, event organizer and part-time employee at Our Place. “This gives them something special to remind them that people care.”
Stott first came to Our Place as a family member in need of its services and for the past 17 years, she has worked part-time at the centre to give back. She came up with the idea for the female counterpart, Beauty Day, more than 10 years ago, and said Handsome Day naturally stemmed out of it.
Stylists from the Natural Hair Salon volunteered their services to offer haircuts and grooming. While the salon has participated in Beauty Day in the past, this was their Handsome Day debut.
Salon co-owner Natalie Grunberg-Ferriera said the event is an opportunity to contribute to “something positive for the downtown,” adding her stylists often return to their jobs with a sense of accomplishment and empowerment after volunteering.
For stylist Taylor Holt, volunteering at Handsome Day is a personal and impactful experience, as her uncle was a client at Our Place when she was young.
“Being able to come back here and give back to the community with a group that helped someone very important to me in my life is massively significant,” she said. “I came into this industry to help people feel beautiful, and being able to provide that touch and care for people that so desperately need it is exactly what I’ve wanted to do.”
Grant McKenzie, director of communications at Our Place, added the “healthy touch” of getting a haircut is often an emotional experience for participants after experiencing abuse and trauma on the streets.
“Even though it’s just a haircut, when someone is touching you in a non-threatening, healthy way, that’s something that a lot of people on the street don’t get,” he said. “A haircut can actually be quite emotional for some people because it’s a different kind of experience involving trust and empathy.”
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