Joshua, l'homme aux ciseaux qui offre un nouveau visage aux SDF

Il suffit parfois de peu, d'une attention, d'un geste simple, pour changer la journée de quelqu'un. Ou du moins l'améliorer. C'est le constat que s'est fait Joshua Coombes. Coiffeur et musicien, ce jeune Anglais a une devise très altruiste : « Do something for nothing » (« Faites quelque chose sans rien attendre en retour »). Une idée, devenue philosophie de vie, ramenée d'un voyage à New-York. Ce sont d'ailleurs ces mots qui le caractérisent sur son compte Instagram, qui compte plus de 185.000 abonnés. Et pour cause, Joshua Coombes a décidé de dédier son temps libre à offrir ses talents de coiffeur et de barbier aux sans abris de Londres.

This is Aman. He has been homeless in London for the last four months. Aman didn't have any requests for how he wanted his hair apart from saying 'Tidy me up!' - so I got to work. It was amazing to spend time with him and to learn about his life. He was very open with me, saying alcohol played a big part in him becoming homeless. 'Drink is the problem, it got to the point where I knew I was relying on it and that's not good.' He told me how it effected the people around him and his life in general. He talked about London being a tough place since living on the street and now realising he took for granted some of the amenities most of us have access to every day. It was great to give him a transformation, making him feel like his old self again for a while. ✂️ Every time I do this I learn, whatever the reasons contributing to someone being in a bad situation in their life, we have to treat them with love. It's the only way people. #DoSomethingForNothing

A photo posted by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Aug 3, 2016 at 11:30am PDT

Après sa journée de travail, le jeune homme parcourt les rues avec son ami photographe Matt Spracklen et ses ciseaux dans son sac à dos pour permettre aux SDF de se faire chouchouter, comme une personne normale, mais surtout d'avoir quelqu'un à qui parler le temps d'une coupe de cheveux. L'action peut sembler anodine, mais redonne pourtant confiance aux hommes et femmes passés entre ses mains. La métamorphose est souvent saisissante, comme on peut le voir sur les photos de son compte Instagram, et permet par exemple aux sans abris de se rendre aux entretiens d'embauche sans détonner face aux autres candidats. De changer la perception des gens. « Le plus beau moment, c'est quand je leur tends le miroir à la fin de la coupe et que j'observe leurs réactions » expliquait le coiffeur à The Tab « C'est tellement gratifiant de les voir se redécouvrir » De jolis moments d'humanité.

This is Paul, 54 years old. I found Paul sat down on The Strand, one of the busiest streets in Central London. I wandered how many people he must see walking by each day. As soon as I approached him he gave me a big smile and I knew I'd enjoy getting to know this man. Paul was born in Yorkshire, he's been homeless for the last five years. After working as a mechanic for the majority of his career in the north of England, he moved up to Scotland to enjoy the next chapter of his life. Unfortunately things didn't work out quite as easy as he'd thought. Paul struggled finding work and when the money he had saved ran out he could no longer pay his rent. This led him to his first night on the street. Paul told me he got a cheap bus down to London, mainly because of slightly warmer climates and a new experience. He's been on the street here for the last few months and is hoping for a break soon, to get back on his feet again and back to a life he once knew. Meeting Paul was an experience I won't forget. We sat down and shared stories for an hour after his haircut and I couldn't have felt happier in his company. I could feel his confidence had increased ten fold. I thanked him for spending his time with me and letting me help him, doing what I love ✂️ #DoSomethingForNothing

A photo posted by Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) on Jul 17, 2016 at 12:32pm PDT