Getting a haircut can be a transformative experience.
“Any time you get a haircut, you always feel better about yourself,” said Lyndell Crouch, who recently received a free haircut at Chelsea Park in Manhattan.
“It reduces stigma and also allows them to be ready for job interviews and a bunch of other opportunities,” said BJ Neal, the senior director of program services at City Relief. The nonprofit organization connects people without stable housing with social services.
It’s what brings Kelsey Goodwin back to Chelsea Park week after week during the warmer weather months. She is a volunteer with City Relief who provides free haircuts to New Yorkers who are down on their luck.
“I’ve had a couple people in the past where they are trying to get some, work stuff set up,” the Harlem resident said.
“For others, I think just sometimes, it’s just like that day they need something to, like, a little pick-me-up,” she added.
What You Need To Know
Kelsey Goodwin offers free haircuts to people on the streets with City Relief
The Harlem resident was inspired by her interactions with homeless people in her neighborhood to help others
City Relief, the organization with which she volunteers, is a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness find resources
Goodwin’s drive to give back started a couple of years ago. She was striking up conversations and giving a friendly wave to people living on the streets in her neighborhood.
“It’s just something I think that kind of tugged on my heart a little bit, is kind of seeing somebody sort of on the street that looks like they are in need of something and just kind of thinking to myself, like… ‘What can I do?'” she said.
She started off with City Relief the same way a lot of volunteers do, serving food and manning the resources table. But the professional hairstylist knew she could help even more.
Two years later, Goodwin’s haircutting services are highly sought after at City Relief’s weekly events.
“She’s cut so many of their hair at this point, right, and has made so much space for them to feel dignified,” Neal said.
“Getting a free haircut today is great because I didn’t have money to get a haircut,” Crouch said.
She is providing people who are often overlooked an opportunity to feel good about themselves.
“If getting a haircut will make any sort of impact throughout their day or like on the journey that they’re on… I’m so happy to provide that,” Goodwin said.
For giving people who are struggling a fresh look and a fresh start, Kelsey Goodwin is our New Yorker of the Week.