Jawuan Jones performs a haircut on his client, Darien, as part of his Haircuts 4 Homeless nonproft.
Philadelphia has a large issue that city officials don’t seem to know how to fix:
homelessness. As the number of individuals experiencing homelessness
increased for the third year in a row, the city recently made headlines after video
surfaced of Philadelphia Police Department clearing a homeless encampment in
Kensington as part of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s initiative to transform Kensington.
Between the closure of several homeless shelters and the shuttering of one of the city’s
largest food bank programs, the amount of available remedies to Philadelphia’s
homeless crisis keeps dwindling day by day.
Enter B. Jawuan Jones: a 36 year-old barber based in Philadelphia. Jones left his job as
a security guard in 2017 to start giving haircuts to individuals experiencing
homelessness after feeling inspired to help after noticing the lack of available resources
for Philadelphia’s homeless community.
Flash forward to present day: Jones’s once-small haircut donations have since turned into the nonprofit now known as Haircuts 4 Homeless. On any given weekday you could expect Jones to be out working at his usual spot on the median located at the intersection of Broad and Walnut Streets, but today’s weather has other plans for him. Instead, Jones pivots by setting up meetings with his team of people that help make this operation happen.
In between these meetings, Jones sat down with Philadelphia Neighborhoods to discuss how this organization came to be and where he hopes to see it go.
Jawuan Jones poses with his client, Luchee, after giving her a haircut at his pop-up barbershop on Broad Street
Setting up shop on Broad Street to give out free haircuts seems like a unique
idea, what made you want to start this mission in the first place?
I always had a desire to give back to my community. Haircuts 4 Homeless was a one
day idea I had that spiraled into a worldwide initiative in the blink of an eye!
You’ve been doing this for quite sometime now, how many haircuts would
you say you’ve donated to Philadelphia’s unhoused community?
In the 7 years I’ve been doing this, I’m slowly creeping up on 60K haircuts.
Beyond not having housing, what are some of the specific struggles that
you’ve seen your clients go through?
Mental illness, Low self-esteem, lack of support and resources. The list goes on.
I’ve been following your story for a bit and I’ve seen you donate your time
and efforts through multiple ways. What are some of the ways beyond haircuts that you have given back to the community?
There’s a few other things I do outside of haircuts. During the winter months I do
something called “Operation Warm Winter” where I raise funds to put as many
homeless individuals in hotel rooms during inclement weather. I also host a Labor Day
and Memorial Day cookout for the homeless which is always a favorite. My supporters
donate tons of food, I bring out a grill and we have a huge cookout for those in need,
totally free!
Related to the last question, which one of those had the largest impact on
that person and community?
I think Operation Warm Winter may have the greatest impact. Allowing someone the
opportunity to enjoy a warm bed and a hot meal leaves a lasting impression on them.
How did the outcome of that project make you feel?
It always makes me feel like what I’m doing is for a greater purpose than myself.
There’s nothing in the world more fulfilling than giving to others.
What inspires you to keep this mission going?
What inspired me to keep going? THE PEOPLE! I love what I do and wouldn’t change it
for nothing.
Lastly, what is one change you hope to see with how our society treats
individuals experiencing homelessness?
I would like to see people love more. We live in a world where we judge a book by its
cover before reading the pages
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