After getting sober in February, a 35-year-old former barbershop owner came to California and cuts the hair of the homeless for free to give them a fresh outlook.

Los Angeles

Beraldo Gabaldon, a 35-year-old former barbershop owner from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is offering free haircuts to homeless people near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. Having recently overcome 15 years of drug and alcohol addiction, Gabaldon uses his skills to give back, hoping to inspire a sense of dignity and hope among those he serves.

Gabaldon's initiative comes amid heightened law enforcement actions targeting the homeless, and he seeks to challenge negative narratives surrounding the unhoused. He believes that small acts, like a haircut, can help individuals regain confidence and potentially change their lives. Gabaldon is committed to continuing his work as long as he is able.

A rehabilitated barber spreads hope, one cut at a time

Up to four hours a day for the past month, you can find Beraldo Gabaldon cutting the hair of the homeless for free near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. I was in their shoes. I know how they feel. They're not bad people. They're not. They're human just like us. And so I said, you know what, maybe a haircut could give them that spark to change their whole life. Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico, the 35-year-old former barbershop owner came to California to escape 15 years of drug and alcohol addiction and to start a new life after getting sober in February. Part of Gabaldon's mission is to change the narrative surrounding the unhoused as President Donald Trump intensifies his law and order crackdown. It's becoming a situation of complete and total lawlessness. Trump's federal law enforcement intervention in Washington, D.C., includes clearing homeless encampments, and he has suggested he may deploy similar strategies to other major cities. When it comes to what they're doing with the law, you're going to put them away like they do in jail when they go to jail for nine months or a year. But how are they going to enter the community again? They have nowhere to go. They have no shelter. They have no start. I think that's and that's why that's my goal to get some kind of mentorship to help these guys and somebody they can trust. Gabaldon sees the free haircuts not only as a way to redeem himself, but to give hope to others. I'm going to make sure I do it until they tell me I can't. And I mean, there's nothing wrong with what I do. I don't see him stopping me.

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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East Coast of the United States

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Breakdown