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Joshua Coombes: Ο κομμωτής που ζει κουρεύοντας αστέγους δωρεάν εδώ και χρόνια

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Πόσες φορές τους προσπερνάς κάνοντας ότι δε βλέπεις, δεν κατάλαβες, αφαιρέθηκες, είχες άλλα στο μυαλό σου; Σου μιλώ για τους άστεγους που ζουν έκθετοι στις καιρικές συνθήκες και στα μάτια σου στους δρόμους κάθε μεγαλούπολης. Ολοένα και περισσότεροι άνθρωποι, ολοένα και περισσότερες πόλεις. Εκεί που εσύ δε βλέπεις, ο Joshua Coombes όχι μόνο βλέπει, αλλά μαθαίνει τη ζωή κάθε αστέγου ο οποίος θέλει κούρεμα. Ο 31χρονος Βρετανός κομμωτής από το 2015 προσφέρει δωρεάν κουρέματα στους αστέγους ζητώντας ως μόνο αντάλλαγμα λίγη κουβέντα, λίγο μοίρασμα της προσωπικής ιστορίας του καθενός. Το μόνο που θέλει να τους πει είναι πώς έχουν αξία, πώς τους αξίζει να έχουν μια εμφάνιση για την οποία να νιώθουν καλά.

Όταν ο Joshua ξεκίνησε την εκστρατεία #Dosomethingfornothing δούλευε στην κανονική του πρωινή δουλειά και περνούσε τα βράδια κουρεύοντας αστέγους. Οι ιστορίες τους φιλοξενούνταν στο Instagram του μαζί με φωτογραφίες τους από το πριν και το μετά της κόμμωσης. «Ξεκινώ κάθε post με τις λέξεις ”Αυτός είναι π.χ. ο Stewart” ή “Αυτός είναι π.χ. ο Martin”. Αυτό ειναι το πρώτο πράγμα που θέλω να τονίσω: Να τους δώσουμε πίσω την ταυτότητά τους. Μετά διηγούμαι την ιστορία τους» έχει εξηγήσει ο Joshua Coombes που τρία χρόνια μετά έχει αφήσει την πρωινή δουλειά του, και ταξιδεύει σε όλο τον κόσμο κάνοντας couchsurfing και με την υποστήριξη φιλανθρωπικών οργανισμών και συνεχίζει να προσφέρει τα ψαλίδια του και το αυτί του σε όσους θέλουν να δουν τον εαυτό τους όπως τον έβλεπαν πριν ξεκινήσουν να ζουν ως άστεγοι. Φρεσκοκουρεμένοι και χαμογελαστοί, οι άστεγοι ποζάρουν στον φακό του ακόμα και αν οι πρόσφατες εμπειρίες τους περιλαμβάνουν μια κλοπή που τους άφησε χωρίς χρήματα ή χωρίς καθόλου υπάρχοντα, σεξουαλικές παρενοχλήσεις, εθισμούς, κακοποίηση, πόνο, εγκατάλειψη. Άλλοι βρίσκονται στον δρόμο λίγους μήνες, άλλοι τη μισή τους ζωή, άλλοι παλεύουν με τα ναρκωτικά και άλλοι με το κοινωνικό στίγμα, το ταμπού του να είσαι άστεγος. Όλοι θέλουν κάτι βασικό: Το δικαίωμά τους στην αξιοπρέπεια.

 

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This is Benjamin, 38 years old. Currently, he’s sleeping near Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Angeles Church, near Union Station. I asked him what brought him here – “Before, I was sleeping by a bridge beneath a highway in the Valley. There’s a tent encampment there but it was a toxic place for me. I was hooked on crystal meth and doing anything I could to survive. When you have nothing, everyday is a struggle to keep things moving towards the next. I had to get away from that. One night, when I was in a really dark place in my mind, I tuned in to a deeper voice that was talking to me. I feel like that voice was God telling me to change my life. I haven’t been clean for very long, but I’m trying. I’m going to work. I want a job where I can work as much as I can and start to change things. I want a family.” As I was cutting Benjamin’s hair, he opened up some more – “I knew I was gay from an early age. It wasn’t easy growing up so I suppressed those feelings for a long time until I was out on the streets. Now I feel like I should resist those feelings again to live a good life. I know the church wants that. I don’t know. I want to be better…I want to be happy.” #DoSomethingForNothing

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This is David, 64 years old. He was one the first people I met in Miami recently. It was a really hot day when @the_brittjames and I saw him on the corner. We pulled up and started talking. David is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He lived there for the majority of his life, in a vastly different environment to the heat and hustle of these streets. David came to Miami for a vacation – “I wanted to get away for a while. I’d been living the same life for a long time and I wanted to see Florida. I didn’t realise that I’d be living on the streets soon after… It all started a month ago. On the first week that I arrived, I had my bag stolen with with everything in it – My passport, wallet with my I.D, and my bank card. I survived for a short while. I had booked somewhere to stay but I didn’t have any fall back after that. I don’t know anybody here and things got complicated back home. I’ve worked throughout my life. I know what winter feels like back in the mid-west. I’m hoping I can work my way out of this… I need to sort my situation out before I head back home.” When I handed David the mirror, he chuckled then said – “Wow, I haven’t looked like this since my college years!” #DoSomethingForNothing

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This is Georgia, 25 years old. She was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. When we first met, her guards were up. She was boisterous and snapping at people nearby. It’s amazing the difference an hour of conversation made. Her shell dissolved completely. As we talked, she opened up about her life and what brought her here to Los Angeles. ~ “I was born in Little Rock in Arkansas, but I grew up in Atlanta. I never thought I’d be in California, but then again, I never thought that I’d need to escape. I’ve come out of a very hurtful relationship recently… Like, full of hurt. It’s difficult to see things clearly when you’re right in the middle of it. I had to get away. I was ready to kill him… Everybody reaches their breaking point. I escaped before I reached mine. I try my best not to think back to how that person made me feel. Maybe one day it can be my strength, but right now it just hurts… I’m living on the streets but it’s better than being in that relationship. I got on a bus and didn’t look back. If I had somewhere to stop along the way, a safe place to be, I would’ve gone there. I just needed to get as far away as I could and this where I stopped.” ~ I could feel how close Georgia was with some of the people around her on the street. It was real and there was genuine care between them. An older lady nicknamed ‘Mama’ was there with us throughout her haircut. Georgia and Mama kept exchanging smiles and reaching out to squeeze each others hand. ~ This beautiful girl is in a lot of pain. Everyone copes in different ways. Sometimes, I imagine how I’d be after even a few weeks sleeping out on the street. I know there are things I’d have to do to protect myself. I think that it would change the shape of my personality to survive each day. #DoSomethingForNothing

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This is Monika. Originally from Bratislava, Slovakia. @valeriejardin and I met her on our trip to Paris recently. She's currently sleeping on the streets with her husband Marian. They've been married for 19 years. For the last 8 months of their relationship, Monika and Marian have been looking after one another in a way that neither one of them could have expected. Waking up next to one another other each day on cardboard and concrete, instead of a bed. Facing every challenge that accompanies living on the street. Monika told us she has trouble sleeping at night – "I'm so grateful for my husband. He stays up during the night to make sure that I'm safe and he really protects me. I'm so thankful that we have one another. We met so long ago. He was a professional hockey player in Slovakia at the time. I went to his game. We fell in love that day." Monika has experienced harassment and offerings that I don't feel like repeating here. They've also had their belongs stolen on three separate occasions, including any hygiene products she had. When I visit Paris, I stay with my friend Charline. She has wanted to get involved in #DoSomethingForNothing so she's began collecting a selection of different women's hygiene products as donations, giving them to homeless women in the city. We went back the next day to give Monika some new things and spend some more time together. It was difficult to leave this couple. We shared a really deep connection. I could see what it meant to them to be listened to and treated with dignity. These warm, genuinely lovely people filled up my heart. It made me happy to hear of an encounter recently that gave Monika and Marian some hope – A business man, who has been buying them coffee during the week, owns a studio apartment in the neighbourhood and is looking to see if they can stay there and look after the place while he's away. We'll see what happens. Keeping my fingers crossed for them. #DoSomethingForNothing

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«Ένα κούρεμα δεν είναι βασική ανάγκη, σαν την τροφή ή τη στέγη που οι άνθρωποι χρειάζονται για την επιβίωσή τους. Είναι κάτι πέρα από αυτό, και γι’ αυτό είναι σημαντικό. Ένα κούρεμα μπορεί να έχει σημασία σε ό,τι αφορά την αξιοπρέπειά σου και το φως που μπορείς να δεις μέσα σου» είπε τον Ιανουάριο στο GQ με αφορμή την συνεργασία του με την Gillette και τη νέα της διαφημιστική καμπάνια, ο Joshua Coombes. Ο ίδιος εξήγησε στην ίδια συνέντευξη και τον λόγο για τον οποίο ξεκίνησε αυτή την καμπάνια, την καμπάνια που μας προτρέπει όλους να κάνουμε κάτι για το τίποτα. Γιατί καμιά φορά αυτό είναι και ό,τι πιο σημαντικό θα κάνουμε στο πέρασμά μας από αυτή τη ζωή.

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This is Michaël, 34 years old. Agy (@laruetourne) introduced us in Les Halles, Paris. The first night Michaël spent sleeping on the street was at sixteen years old. Struggles and conflicts with his stepfather forced him to leave home at an early age. Michaël found a place to stay long enough to complete some training as a plumber. He worked doing this for a while, but it became difficult for him to get new contracts so he worked odd jobs in building sites and restaurants to get by. We asked Michaël where he stayed during these periods. “I always tried to go back home, but it was never easy there. It was always a bad atmosphere. One of my sisters moved away from Paris when she was younger and I’ve never had a good relationship with my half-sister, or half-brother. It was especially difficult with my stepfather, we never had got along well… He had a disliking for me from the start. Nobody was really present for one another in my family so I’ve had to find a life elsewhere.” – Michaël’s right hand was paralyzed recently. It looked in a bad way. I asked him about what had happened. – “I had a dog for fourteen years. She was my family but she was taken away from me. Somebody abducted her. I still had hope that I would see her again… I filed a report with the police, but they couldn’t find her. This happened the night I found out. I did this to myself.” – You could feel how much pain Michaël carried with him. But through this, there was a real warmth. It’s crazy to think that this guy has been on the streets for half of his life and still has a genuine smile to give. @laruetourne @theworldwidetribe @gotvitaminc and I all hung out together with Michaël for hours on that street in Les Halles that day. Going out to give your time to @dosomethingforrnothing doesn’t completely fix someone’s problems, but I’ll argue anybody on the importance of the smiles and laughs we shared. That is hope. Hope is important. Find me a person who doesn’t need it at some stage of their life. #DoSomethingForNothing

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This is Eveylon, 29 years old. She only wanted a trim but I applied some leave in conditioner as I was cutting to give her hair some much needed TLC. Eveylon waited until after I'd given her boyfriend, Terry, a haircut before deciding she'd like one also. They have been sleeping on the streets together for six months. Last year, they shared a room in Brooklyn but as their drug habit picked up, things stared to slide financially. They were both open and honest about their addiction, as they were about their past. Neither one of them had the easiest of upbringings. Eveylon spoke of her last relationship before meeting Terry – "Looking back to my ex, I can't see how I let someone treat me that way. It was so unhealthy. I was feeling vulnerable already and just wanted love. That can blind you sometimes. He did some horrible things to me that I don't like to talk about much. It couldn't be more different with Terry. We respect each other. It's a love that I've never felt before. Someone walked past us on the street recently and said 'You can't be homeless because you're too happy' We haven't got much at the moment but we have each other and that's amazing." – I believed everything Eveylon said, I could feel it between them. They had this deep care for each other that felt unbreakable. It was if it didn't matter what the world has thrown at them, nobody can what they have together. Eveylon and Terry are on a methadone script now trying to work a programme towards abstinence. Eveylon lost her I.D recently, she's trying to get a new one as soon as possible to get back in the system. #DoSomethingForNothing

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This Toby, 19 years old. He sleeps on the streets when he can't get a place in the hostel that he visits in London. Some nights he can't afford it – "It's not always that easy to make enough money to get in somewhere each night. I don't usually sit around in the same spot all day, I move around a lot. I slept on the trains sometimes… I used to live with my mum but we don't get along anymore. It's difficult to talk about that stuff. We still keep in touch when we can but I can't live with her anymore." As I was cutting Toby's hair, a few people stopped to speak with us. He was so friendly and polite to everyone – "You've got to have people to talk to right? Otherwise you'd go crazy. I know I won't be here forever so I'd like to think I'd give time to someone else in this position." – It's difficult to think back in my biggest troubles at 19 years old and draw a comparison with Toby's worries at present. I hope things brighten up for him, he's optimistic. A conversation. I've seen how something so small can genuinely give someone hope. #DoSomethingForNothing

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«Περνούσα δίπλα από τους αστέγους κάθε μέρα και δεν ήξερα τι να κάνω. Πέρασα μια μακρά διαδικασία κατά την οποία προσπαθούσα να αποβάλλω την επιφανειακή πλευρά του εαυτού μου και βρήκα ότι οι συζητήσεις μαζί τους στους δρόμους του Λονδίνου με έβγαζαν από το πεδίο στο οποίο ένιωθα άνετα και ασφαλής. Νομίζω ότι είναι σημαντικό να ξεκινήσει από τον εαυτό σου σαν άτομο και να σκεφτείς τι μπορείς να κάνεις σήμερα με τα δύο σου χέρια και το μυαλό σου για να βοηθήσεις τους ανθρώπους» σημείωσε ο Joshua που αναφέρθηκε ξανά στην καμπάνια του πρόσφατα στο Instagram.

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The atoms that make me. The protons and electrons that keep me spinning, enabling me to continue doing what I do. The nucleus is always humans, and their stories. Chasing the magic in people. The small things in which we all can relate. The more I journey into the lives of others, the more I discover the fundamental similarities we share. It can be hopeful and frustrating all at once. I’m constantly asked – “How is it possible for you to keep spending your time in this way? How do you live?” I could talk of logistics, or the hours spent connecting the wires. Or, I could go ahead and tell you the truth – I believe in it. On the Earth’s watch, I exist for a fleeting moment, what else am I going to do…? #DoSomethingForNothing @malkovichpants

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«Τα άτομα που με αποτελούν. Τα προτόνια και τα ηλεκτρόνια που συνεχίζουν να περιστρέφονται επιτρέποντάς μου να εξακολουθώ να κάνω αυτό που κάνω. Ο πυρήνας είναι πάντα οι άνθρωπο και οι ιστορίες τους. Το να ψάχνω τη μαγεία στους ανθρώπους. Τα μικρά πράγματα με τα οποίο όλοι μπορούμε να ταυτιστούμε. Όσο ταξιδεύω στην ζωή των άλλων, όλο περισσότερο ανακαλύπτω τις βασικές ομοιότητες που μοιραζόμαστε. Είναι κάτι ελπιδοφόρο και αγχωτικό την ίδια στιγμή. Συνέχεια με ρωτούν: “Πώς είναι δυνατόν να μπορείς να συνεχίζεις να ξοδεύεις τον χρόνο σου με αυτό τον τρόπο; Πώς ζεις;”. Θα μπορούσα να μιλήσω για λεπτομέρειες ενώνοντας τις τελείες, ή θα μπορούσα να πω εξαρχής την αλήθεια: Πιστεύω σε αυτό. Σε αυτόν τον πλανήτη, υπάρχω για μία φευγαλέα στιγμή, τι άλλο λοιπόν να κάνω;», σημείωσε ο Joshua Coombes σήκωσε το ψαλίδι και την ξυριστική του μηχανή και συνέχισε να μοιράζει χαμόγελα.

Επ, πού πας; Εσύ πήρες μέρος στην έρευνα του Ladylike;

Κεντρική φωτογραφία: Instagram/JoshuaCoombes