Coast Barbershop & Salon celebrated its one-year anniversary Oct. 16, and now that the shop is established, Steven Mann, who co-owns the shop with his wife, has been able to dedicate time to help individuals who are going through hard times.
Working six days a week, Mann uses one of his days off on every second Sunday to provide haircuts to struggling members of the community free of charge.
“One of the big things we’ve been doing here in the community is every second Sunday I do haircuts for the homeless,” Mann said.
“I also do it for the less fortunate. You don’t have to be homeless, and you don’t have to be hooked on drugs or recovering,” he said.
“I actually refuse tips,” he said. “I don’t want to just make money and put out sick haircuts; I want to actually make a difference in the community and try to change what I can.”
Mann views the haircuts he provides as a vehicle for positive change.
“A lot of (my clients) need the advice, and want to hear the stories, and want to hear how I made it out the other side, or how I dealt with this or that on my road to recovery,” he said. His clients range from the unhoused to single mothers who bring their children in for haircuts.
Mann’s story took him down a road less travelled, and this experience helps him connect with clients.
“Originally what got me passionate about doing the haircuts for the homeless was I myself was homeless growing up, actually quite a few times,” he said, recalling the time when he was around the age of 17. “There were many nights I spent walking around town, a lot of sleepless nights with nowhere to stay.
“One thing I realized was that when I would be able to get a haircut within that few-year period of time, it really did change the way I was feeling about myself,” he recalled.
Mann said getting a haircut something to look forward to. “It gives you that sense of self again, and makes you feel your best self. It makes you feel centred.”
Mann’s own road to recovery began with a few good conversations with his barber.
“After him talking to me and constantly being there for me, telling me to come by the shop anytime if I needed a talk — stuff like that turned into a friendship, and I’m still friends with him today,” Mann said. “When I was homeless, getting haircuts was the light of my life.”
After working in the Alberta oilfields, Mann earned his barber’s certificate, and was able to get the shop off the ground. The barbershop brought Mann and his family to Moose Jaw.
“If you’re a working man and you have a family, it’s an absolutely perfect place to live,” he said about Moose Jaw. “I have quite a few clients I call friends, and maybe a couple of clients I can even call family now.”
One of those clients was a local man washing windows to get ahead.
“He came in asking if he could wash my windows for five bucks, and I said sure. He looked kind of rough, but it didn’t bother me at all. Anyway, he washed my windows, and I gave him the $5. Then I offered him a haircut,” Mann said.
“Giving him the free haircut, I learned more about him and found out that he had been kicked out of like 10 businesses before this. They all just kind of shooed him away and told him to get out of here, but I didn’t do that,” said Mann. The gesture allowed the man to earn honest money, and his fresh haircut meant he’d see more success.
For the unhoused, looking more presentable helps open doors and land a job.
“At some point… something has to change. Either they have to change something, or someone has to give them a hand. A lot of times they are in so deep into their situation that there is only one way they are looking. Maybe those 45 minutes in my chair will be the conversation and the haircut that changes everything, and that’s what I’m going on and hoping for.”
Mann is building his ‘Coast to Coast’ mental health initiative. The idea started when he lived in Manitoba, and he handed out free clothing and toiletries to the unhoused. Today his focus is on cutting hair, helping clients look presentable, and offering advice in a safe environment.
Mann said the new initiative has been slowly gaining momentum, and he wants to see the word spread throughout the community. For the meantime, Mann approaches anyone he can see from his shop to offer a free cut.
“Don’t be scared and don’t worry about your ego,” said Mann. “None of that matters here. I’m trying to offer a service to help you be your better self, and there is absolutely no judgment at the door, only acceptance.”
“If you look good, you feel good. It’s just a fact,” said Mann. “It’s helping these people downtown on the streets and giving them a little bit of hope – I think that’s the main thing at the end of the day, just hope.”
Coast Barbershop and Salon is located at 63 High Street West and can be reached at 306-693-2000. The shop is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If any barbers or hairdressers would like to help support Mann’s efforts, he currently has two chairs available for rent.
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