‘Love Him': Salon Provides Haircuts and Kindness to Homeless

Reflections Salon and Day Spa owner Ginger Rich was homeless as a child

J.D. Morgan complained a little as Casey Ranger cut and styled his hair Sunday, but he’s grateful for the haircut and she’s happy to give it.

Morgan is a homeless man living in Lakeside, but despite his problems he always looks out for Ranger.

“I love him, I really do,” Ranger says emotionally of her client. “He just has such a sweet soul and I work nights, I’m a mom of three and I have a family at home that loves me, and having someone … in the community that’s looking out for me is awesome. J.D. comes by and says hi to me and we’ve made a friendship. He’s not just a patron. He is a friend of mine … He takes care of me I take care of him.”

Morgan was in Ranger’s chair at Reflections Salon and Day Spa in Lakeside because the business was offering free haircuts for the local homeless and giving out supplies. Morgan says being homeless in Lakeside has gotten harder recently.

“It’s pretty hard right now because I guess they’re trying to clean up the riverbed and get all the homeless out,” Morgan tells NBC 7. “That’s the only place I know to go without getting into trouble … but now they’re coming down there … tearing up our tents, tearing up our stuff.”

He says he had his hair cut at Reflections last year during a similar event, but gave up on grooming himself after he split with his wife.

“It’s hard being homeless out here. I lost my wife over it,” he says. “It’s like it’s illegal to be homeless, and it’s illegal to even sleep at night.”

Owner Ginger Rich understands what people like Morgan are going through because she used to be homeless herself as a child, living in and out of shelters with her mother for several years.

“That’s why it’s close to my heart because I was no different than any of these patrons at one time, and by the grace of God I got to grow up and want something more,” Rich explains. “Someone believed in me and loved me until I loved myself enough to know that I can do bigger things.”

She says Lakeside has a lot of homeless people.

“They’re truly kind, they’re truly sweet and I think that when we make them feel clean and we give them a nice shave they feel better at times like these,” Rich says.

Rich says after the last event two of the people were able to get jobs.

“If we can all pitch in and share something that we have, or give a blanket, or give a kind word and look at them as human beings and not just pass by and ignore them, but let them know that we see them and we love them. I think that builds an encouragement for them to want to do better, to want to be able to get off the streets.”

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