route 8 barber shopA barber shop has opened to give free haircuts to homeless people.
Sylvester Okoli, owner of Route 8 Barbers, said part of the business' purpose is to give back to the community.
The new store follows in Bristol and Swindon, with the opening at Botley Retail Park in Oxford.
Okoli, 36, told the BBC: “At one point we were actually cutting more homeless people than customers.”
The barber has previously worked with Oxford's Porch Day Center, providing services to people in the city who are rough sleepers, need hostel accommodation or live in supported housing. There is.
The center previously revealed that the company does more than just cut hair.
“They increase self-esteem, show compassion, compassion, and above all kindness, and that kindness fosters self-belief and gives them hope,” the report states.
Typically, the team provides up to 25 haircuts per visit.
But Okoli said you can also “just come into the store, explain your situation, and we'll be happy to help you get a haircut.”
“People care.”
Okoli, who has been working as a barber for about seven years, said: “It's nice to know that this service is not limited to only those who can afford it.
“I feel good about this result, but at the end of the day it's not about me, it's about them.
“You can always see that confidence. That’s what it’s all about. They go home feeling good.
“The important thing is to do the right thing, and the right thing is to do it so that someone can use what they have learned not only for their own benefit, but also for the benefit of others in their community. It is to do.
“So if there's a way that we can give individuals hope and make them feel like they're not left out and alone, they know there are people out there who care.”
Route 8 Barbers' other community projects include training youth as hairdressers to keep them out of crime.
We also make hospital visits, prison visits, and home visits to the sick and elderly who have been hospitalized for a long period of time.
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