The heartwarming story of a barber who gives free haircuts to the homeless: “I was in their shoes”
Barber Beraldo Gabaldon of Los Angeles cuts the hair of the homeless.
Welcome. Come in and sit down. Grab a warm drink if you like. Not all news is heart-wrenchingly horrible. Sometimes — just sometimes — when the stars align and the wind blows in the right direction, we get a nice story.
In the heart of Los Angeles, on a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard near MacArthur Park, a quiet transformation is unfolding—one haircut at a time. Beraldo Gabaldon, a 35-year-old former barbershop owner originally from Albuquerque, now dedicates up to four hours daily to giving free haircuts to homeless individuals struggling with addiction and mental health challenges.
This is my challenge, this is what I want to fix‚" he told Reuters. “You’re more than a barber, you’re a therapist,” he adds, “you can talk to your barber about anything. I can guide them to the resources I do know."
Having finally found sobriety in February after enduring a 15-year struggle with substance abuse and a number of relapses, Gabaldon moved west. Draped in a Lakers barber’s cape, he sets up on the sidewalk, ready to offer more than a trim: he offers a spark of dignity and hope.
“These are the first people I am going to help because I was in their shoes. They are not bad people. They are humans just like us. Maybe a haircut can give them that spark to change their whole life. They make it seem like these are bad people and they are not, they are definitely not."
“This time I found my purpose and why I want to recover. It’s for me and my family, so they can have a dad, a brother, have me here to provide, being an amazing father to my kids.”
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