Cutting Hair, Creating Connections

Short Back & Sidewalks is a free hair-cutting service for members of the community in need. They work alongside service providers across Australia, providing friendly and attentive hair-cutting experiences with some of Australia’s best hairdressers and barbers as their volunteers.

Short Back & Sidewalks currently operates in Western Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Victoria. Their service goes beyond just giving free haircuts; they create meaningful connections through conversations with clients and create visibility for some of the most marginalised community members in Australia.

Short Back & Sidewalks started in Perth, WA, in early 2015. The first haircuts took place in a car park behind a shopping arcade in Northbridge. It was a simple set up for a simple idea that has gone on to grow, help and inspire across Australia.

Over time, they developed relationships with a number of service providers, and started delivering haircuts onsite at their premises. They have found that meeting their clients in safe, familiar spaces, and tying in with existing service providers, is the most effective way to engage.

In 2017, they expanded their services to Sydney, working in a similar onsite delivery model alongside Orange Sky Laundry in Martin Place and Rough Edges in Darlinghurst.

In 2018, they began delivering services to the Northern Territory, where they were invited to participate in the Garma Festival of Traditional Culture in North East Arnhem Land, providing free haircuts for festival attendees. And so, their new community engagement model was born.

The following year they returned to Garma Festival and also began a new school holiday program with the Mutitjulu Community in the Northern Territory.

In 2020, they were invited to give free haircuts to community at the One Day In Fremantle Festival, WA, and are set to expand their services into Melbourne, VIC, in collaboration with HoMie, later in the year.

Short Back & Sidewalks have grown from a small local team of three volunteers when starting out, to a national team with over 200 volunteers and are always on the lookout for new volunteers and new partners.

“Dig a little deeper and you’ll see we do a lot more than this, “says founder and CEO Craig Hollywood. “We’re building positive connections and creating visibility for some of the most vulnerable and marginalised members of our community. Through the act of giving a haircut, our volunteers build a connection with our clients. We offer a time and space in which our clients are not defined by their circumstances; they are seen, heard, and valued by our team”

“We often see homeless young people prioritising matters that need immediate attention,” says Aaron D’Vaz, a Youth Worker at Passages Youth Engagement Bub, WA. “As our clients are extremely transient and vulnerable, they are often focused on accommodation and food needs. This means things like their appearance take a back seat. Passages are very lucky to collaborate with a service like Short Back & Sidewalks as it fills a gap and provides an awesome vibe in the facility when they visit. I notice, first-hand, the improvement in clients’ moods and general wellbeing after receiving a haircut from the crew. Young people often complement each other on their new looks and the positive energy in the service on those days is a nice change and distraction for those facing turmoil on a daily basis.”

“One of our young people is currently transitioning from female to male and was lucky enough to receive a haircut from SBSW and was elated with his new look. He returned later to communicate that he had been called ‘sir’ and seen as a male for one of the first times in his journey. I think it’s a perfect collaboration. Passages has the space and the clients with the need and Short Back & Sidewalks are able to fill a gap that otherwise would not be considered as pertinent to a young person’s happiness & wellbeing.”

SINCE DELIVERING THEIR FIRST SERVICE IN MARCH 2015, SHORT BACK & SIDEWALKS HAVE:

Given over 5,900 haircuts

Spent 11,736 hours building community

Grown from two to 200 volunteers

Expanded from Perth to National

“On the streets of Perth, there are 1,000 people sleeping rough every night, 8,000 people sleeping inappropriately, and 17,000 on the waiting list for social housing,” Craig said. “In a world after COVID, these numbers are only going to increase, and so will the demand for positive connections due to the increase in mental health stresses. Everyone has been affected by COVID-19, and especially people who are experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.”

Hairdressers and barbers only need to give as little as two hours per month to provide free haircuts and positive connections to some of the most vulnerable members of the community.

Short Back & Sidewalks works on location, attending the premises of service providers in WA, NSW, NT, and VIC.

At all times the clients’ needs are considered the number one priority, so they operate in familiar, safe, and inclusive spaces for all.

If you are a service provider and would like Short Back & Sidewalks to visit your service, please get in contact via the information below. Short Back & Sidewalks are always on the lookout to start services in new locations with new teams and volunteers. Head to the volunteer link on their website to get involved.

Website; www.shortbackandsidewalks.com

Email; info@shortbackandsidewalks.com