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Bringing hope to the streets

A local woman’s crusade to help the homeless is expanding its scope.

A local woman’s crusade to help the homeless is expanding its scope.

Misty Shingoose, hair stylist at Image Hair Design, launched Care Cuts in 2015, retrofitting a camper van to house a salon chair and the necessities for cutting hair on the side of the road. She and a group of volunteers took the van to downtown Calgary streets, where they offered free haircuts and handed out coffee, treats and had donations of clothing and other items on-hand for those in need.

It was all going really well and a regular clientele was building up – and then the van broke down.

That wasn’t going to stop Shingoose.

“There were mechanical difficulties and the van has been gone for a little while now,” said Shingoose. “So, we’ve been doing Care Cuts just on the side of the road, the backs of our vehicles.”

It’s been a bit overwhelming operating in the middle of the street, where stylists and volunteers are being approached by people constantly all day, she said. Shingoose decided it was time to make a change.

Now, she’s renovating a 1971 GMC school bus that was once converted into a motorhome. The finished bus will have three salon stations so more stylists can work at the same time.

“It will take it off the street and put it in an environment where you can have more one-on-one time with the client you’re serving, to have that little bit more human connection instead of being so distracted,” said Shingoose.

It’s not going to be a regular school bus when all is said and done. With the help of a certified mechanic and other friends and family, Shingoose is determined to do it right. That includes replacing old parts for new, including a rebuilt 350 Corvette engine painted candy apple red sitting under the hood.

She’s hoping Care Cuts will be operating out of its new digs by the end of September.

“That way we’ll be ready to do Care Cuts in the colder months,” said Shingoose. “That’s the whole idea, being in a sheltered environment, warm, and being able to provide the services through the winter, rain and snow.”

Shingoose and her crew of volunteers hit the streets on Sunday afternoons, beginning between noon and 1 p.m. and shutting it down around 5 p.m. Her group closes up shop and then heads to a church service at 7 p.m., with some clients opting to go with them.

The idea for Care Cuts began at Christmas 2014, when Shingoose was invited by some friends to cut hair at the Edmonton Boyle Street Mission while Christmas food was being served. She set up in the corner of the room and cut hair while meals were dished out.

“I ended up doing 31 heads of hair that day, and I was cutting hair long after the soup pot was empty, and I really loved how much everybody responded positively to it and how appreciative so many people were for the free service and personal care,” said Shingoose. “It was just that little bit of attention, giving them one-on-one care. Right from that moment, I got addicted and I’ve loved doing it ever since.”

Her 30th birthday in February 2015 really sparked Care Cuts. Fuelled by her experience at Christmas she wanted to volunteer at the Drop-In Centre. The waiting list was over two months long and a criminal record check was required, which made her nervous due to past convictions for possession of narcotics in her youth.

Rather than volunteering inside, Shingoose purchased the first van and began working outside the Drop-In Centre. She said she liked the mobility having a van offered, rather than always making people come to her at the shelter.

The bus will allow Care Cuts the same freedom but on an even larger scale.

“Instead of going to the same place every Sunday, we will also be able to go places where the need is there,” said Shingoose.

People will be able to apply to have a Care Cuts event at a number of locations in the Calgary and Foothills area, she said. If someone’s parent is in an assisted living facility and they want to bring the bus there, cuts could be given to anyone who signs up, she said.

“Or, if someone wants to do it at an emergency shelter or hospice, or a hospital, different places where people are in need,” said Shingoose. “We can bring the service to them. It’s more so just where there is need and not just downtown Calgary homeless now. I’m really excited for that part especially.”

For her, it’s all about a way to give back to the community and make connections with those in need.

Over the past two years she’s seen some pretty amazing things during Care Cuts afternoons, which she said inspire her to continue doing her work. One that stands out in particular for her was during last winter, when temperatures were hovering around -30C.

“I was doing a haircut on this man and another person walked up in about five pairs of socks, who didn’t have shoes,” said Shingoose. “We were all trying to find this person shoes but we didn’t have any the right size in our donation bins, and the man in the chair said, ‘I have a pair of shoes in your size in my locker in the Drop-In Centre, I’ll go get them.’”

Seeing someone with nothing give away one of his own pairs of shoes to another person in need was a huge inspiration, she said.

“It’s things like that, that stick in your mind,” said Shingoose. “This man had maybe two pairs of shoes and he was giving one to someone else who needed it more. It’s so incredible being able to make things like that come together when you have the space for it.”

That’s another reason she can’t wait for the bus to be finished. Being able to carry even more donations to Care Cuts locations and serve more people over their four hours of volunteering will make a huge difference, she said.

Seeing people work together to make things better for others is what it’s all about, she said.

“I like bringing people together and especially when somebody who has had a rough go in life either presently or previously, watching them flourish in an environment where they’re helping other people go through things they may have similarly gone through themselves,” said Shingoose. “That’s my absolute favourite part about it.”

For more information or to donate visit www.carecuts.ca.

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