This week I read “Voices”, with sometimes chilling but also wondering stories, about the lives of the homeless and their perspective. I have had friends that were homeless for an extended period and yet I never truly took in what it took to get back on their feet. I think one of the most chilling chapters was the barriers to work and the health of homeless. Their stories frustrated me. So much depends on appearances in order to get any type of help from society.

            Getting a job, getting medical treatment, simply being assisted in a store or hanging around on a park bench all depends on how “civilized” you look. Do you have raggedy clothes? Do you have clean teeth? Do you have a decent haircut? Not only do these small things help with being assisted they can also give a person the can-do-attitude that many of the homeless struggle to keep every day. If there were more outlets and availability for the homeless to obtain any of these appearances, they may have a better chance of getting back on their feet.

An Insider’s video demonstrated a celebrity hairdresser going around the streets of LA giving free haircuts to the homeless. Jason Schneidman, the hairdresser says, “So what I find in helping homeless people with haircuts is their appearance changes and their attitude changes and then also the people around them see these people differently.” One of the homeless men that Schneidman cut hair for looked sad but happy, and while looking into the mirror says, “Damn, yeah, that took about 10 years off of huh” then smiles at Schneidman. “I think if we all do a little, we can help out a lot.” Little things do help a concept not only emphasized in the video but throughout “Voices”.