GEORGETOWN, DEL. – (October 16, 2023) La Red Health Center partnered with Seaford-based Imagination Hair Styles Unisex Salon to offer individuals experiencing homelessness free haircuts and beard trims.
The La Red Team and two stylists from Imagination Hair Styles provided haircuts to about 30 individuals on Wednesday at the Springboard Village in Georgetown. La Red’s community outreach staff also distributed homeless shelter kits to individuals.
The team set-up a makeshift salon and scheduled appointments with both men and women at the village. During the appointments, individuals carried on conversations, joked, laughed and admired their new styles.
Homelessness continues to be a growing problem in Delaware and in Sussex County. According to the 2023 Point in Time Count report issued by Housing Alliance Delaware, the number of people counted as unsheltered increased from 154 people in 2022 to 198 in 2023, a 28% increase.
The study also found that the number of Delawareans living in emergency shelters, transitional housing or hotels paid by a charitable voucher was 1,091 in 2023.
The report found that 32.7% of individuals who were unsheltered were in Sussex County and 15% of those experiencing homelessness, but were sheltered also were from Sussex County.
The link between homelessness and chronic illness is strong. According the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, chronic illness or injury can lead to job losses, loss of income and ultimately loss of housing. People who are experiencing homelessness also have higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks, HIV, hepatitis C, depression and substance use disorder, according to the council.
Part of La Red’s mission is to connect Sussex County’s homeless population with health care services that can change the trajectory of their health and housing situation. La Red seeks to make those connections through its community outreach efforts and its bilingual community outreach staff in its behavioral unit.
“At La Red, we treat the whole person,” said John Russum, Director of La Red’s Behavioral Health Unit. “The personal connections made through getting a haircut is meaningful. It builds a bridge for individuals experiencing homelessness so they feel comfortable receiving health care services, which can make a huge difference in their overall health and well-being.”
La Red offers haircuts at the Springboard Village in the fall and the spring. To learn more about La Red and the work it does with individuals experiencing homelessness visit www.LaRedHealthCenter.org.
Springboard Village offers individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness dignified cabins and engagement as a stepping-stone to long-lasting housing. The village opened in Georgetown in 2023.
La Red Health, a federally qualified health center in Sussex County, Del, has provided quality health care for individuals and families since 2001. La Red is committed to ensuring the highest level of care for all individuals and families. La Red offers primary health care, pediatrics, women’s health services, mental health services at its three locations in Milford, Seaford and Georgetown. La Red also offers dental services at its Milford and Georgetown locations. For more information about La Red Health Center visit www.laredhealthcenter.org/
Photo cover: From Left to Right: Mireya Martinez-Lopez, Gabriela Barrios, Perla M. Lima, Ernesto Torres and Anabell Arias. Cutline: La Red Health Center’s behavioral health community outreach team and Imagination Hair Styles Unisex Salon in Seaford provided free haircuts to individuals experiencing homelessness in Georgetown.
