homeless

Barbershop Family Offers Free Haircuts for Homeless in LA

Heber Garcia is a master barber — helping people look their best runs in the family.

With his brother Eddie, they run CaliCuts, a chain of barbershops in Fontana, Upland, San Dimas and Hollywood.

But getting there wasn't easy.

"We struggled," Heber said. "My mom came from Mexico and my dad as well. They started selling tamales."

While selling tamales, the family learned how to cut hair and eventually turned it into a thriving business.

"It was really rough," Eddie said. "I don't know how my mom did it. But she saved up her money, and we got a house out of just doing hair. We saw that was a good opportunity."

The Garcia brothers have never forgotten where they came from. So now, several times a year, they come to Skid Row and offer free makeovers.

Their team of barbers sets up shop on the roof the Union Rescue Mission — and they spend the day transforming lives.

Heber's wife Nohemi is also part of the team. She gave a makeover to 35-year-old Emerson Morales, who is newly sober and living in the rescue mission, after spending months on the street.

"I didn't have pants or a shirt," Emerson said. "I used to smell really bad. I didn't shower for three or four days. It was awful. I didn't have money to cut my hair neither."

Morales said he's hoping a new look will help him find a job and eventually make his way back to his wife and three kids.

"Being on the street is like, you're not worth it," he said. "You ain't got no goals. Seeing these kind of people, they're on track. And I'm like, I could do the same thing."

For the Garcia family, inspiring that kind of hope is what it's all about.

"It's a great feeling to be able to give back and make someone else feel beautiful," Nohemi said. "It's very rewarding."

The Garcia family can't believe how far they've come.

"We can't forget about the things that brought us here, the stuff that made us tough," Eddie said. "And it's all just through hair and clippers and a little bit of love, you know?"

Emerson is continuing sobriety and said his new look gives him the confidence to believe that he could reclaim his life.

"I see a different man — a new life," he said.

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