Joshua Coombes is a hairdresser in London as well as the founder of a movement devoted to spreading kindness and making connections called #DoSomethingForNothing.
Coombes spends part of his time giving haircuts to homeless people and telling their stories on social media in order to give a voice to men and women living on the streets around the world.
The #DoSomethingForNothing movement has a presence on all social media platforms and encourages people to share their own stories of selflessness. Coombes says of his advocacy:
“This isn’t about raising awareness, it’s about raising compassion. If everyone in every city did one thing for nothing, we could change the world.”
This former musician-turned-hairdresser and humanitarian will give you a whole new perspective on people living on the streets. His Facebook and Instagram photos show just how much a haircut or a fresh shave means to someone without the privilege of determining their own self-care routines.
And the before and after photos will have you tearing up, not only for the transformations but for the looks in the eyes of those who have encountered Coombes’ generosity and gained a newfound sense of dignity.
Being recognized – especially when one feels as invisible as they do when they live on the streets – clearly has a positive effect on these men and women.
Take Dave, for example, who Coombes met on a trip to Queensland, Australia:
According to Coombes’ Facebook caption, Dave is 55 and has been homeless on the streets of Sydney for more than a decade. After losing his mother a few years ago and then losing his job and being evicted from temporary housing because of new construction in 2016, it had been quite a while since he had had a proper haircut. Coombes said:
“I was so pleased to meet Dave, such a warm, gentle guy. I thanked him, the pleasure was all mine to meet this man and spend some time with him.”
To see Coombes in action throughout the world, check out his Instagram page, where you can see moments from his trips to France, India, the U.S., Scotland, and The Netherlands, in addition to his work throughout his home country of England.
This is Terry, 27 at the time of this photograph, living on the streets of Manhattan and trying to get clean from a drug habit:
Tod, 37, is originally from North Carolina. After growing disillusioned with his daily struggle to just get by, he decided to head to the West Coast and was sleeping on the streets of Santa Monica:
Nicola, 28, was homeless in London when this photo was taken. She had just been released from the hospital after treatment for pneumonia. Coombes said, “After wearing a hat for the last couple months, it was a really happy moment to see her happy enough to start wearing her hair down again after I cut a more manageable shape for her to work with.”
It’s important to note that Coombes get permission from all of the people he posts photos of online and asks if he can share their stories.
Some of Coombes’ clients have stories not unlike our own, bringing home just how lucky some of us are to be able to hold our lives together when things go awry. Take Luke, for example, who was homeless in Melbourne, Australia for 6 months when he met Coombes. He had a 9-5 job working in logistics, but was fired after a disagreement with his boss.
“After trying to pick up any casual work he could in and around the city, it wasn’t long before his pay check didn’t match rent prices and that started this chapter in his life.”
In the end, Coombes makes no judgments about who is deserving or undeserving of his services, instead acknowledging the humanity in everyone he meets.
Now Coombes has teamed up with an artist to paint portraits of some of the men and women he meets. They started on Skid Row in Los Angeles and later displayed the work in a show called “Light and Noise” in a gallery in L.A.
The works are now a traveling show (with their own Instagram page), making their way through Europe.
Coombes’ story and good deeds are getting the recognition they deserve, which he’s used to do more good work and further encourage selfless action in others.
If one person can indeed change the world, we can only hope it’s someone like Joshua Coombes.
You can see a video of Coombes talking about his work below.
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