May 17, 2012 Tori Forrest Organization Provides Free Haircuts for the Homeless She walked with her hair in a disheveled ponytail. It was uncombed and overgrown by at least eight months.
Jane Smith was the first client to enter the Makeover Mission Outreach
Center on a Saturday to get a free haircut. Jane has been couch jumping at friends’ homes for over a year.
“I thought my rock bottom was ending up here,” Jane said. “But rock bottom
is finally admitting that you don’t know how to get yourself out of these circumstances. I never thought I could feel so bad about myself.”
Low self-‐esteem is one of the most common outcomes of homelessness,
according to an article by Frederick A. Diblasio. Low-‐self esteem hinders those trying to successfully integrate themselves back into society. Despite this, few organizations that cater to the homeless take this fact into consideration.
Homeless individuals begin to experience depression because they find
themselves in the position where they can’t provide themselves or their families with their basic survival needs of food and shelter.
The Makeover Mission’s goal is to provide hair and beauty services to
homeless or low-‐income individuals who are trying to find a job or create a fresh start for themselves. The rationale is that if the foundation is set for self-‐esteem, the person will be more motivated to pursue, obtain and be able to keep the career. Tori Forrest, a licensed cosmetologist, founded the Makeover Mission in 2012. Focusing on building the self-‐perception of those they help is the most important step before creating their new life, Forrest said.
“You can give underprivileged individuals every basic necessity to make a
fresh start,” Tori said. “However, if they don’t have the confidence or self-‐assurance to believe they can make it on their own, they won’t continue to succeed.”
The Makeover Mission is an organization devoted to help build up the self-‐ esteem of their clients before sending them to find a job. Jane had an interview on Monday. The Makeover Mission provided her with a new haircut, a fresh manicure and an interview outfit.
“It’s been a rough couple of years and I feel like this job interview is the
opportunity for me to create a better life for myself,” Jane said. “The Makeover Mission gave me the confidence that I need to just walk into the interview without the insecurity that they will judge me for how I look.”
Low self-‐worth contributes to poor job performance. This is caused by the
belief that they don’t have the ability to do more and that they are hopeless and incapable of improvement. Tori believes that boosting self-‐respect will yield long-‐lasting results when it comes to helping the homeless and stop the cycle of repeat homelessness.
“It’s such a simple concept, but it’s powerful,” Tori said. “Just make them feel
good about themselves again. Even if it’s just for a day, they believe that they really can be a better version of themselves.”
For more information about volunteering or donating to Makeover Mission,
visit its website, www.makeovermission.com, or call them at 123-‐456-‐7890.