Billy Cabrera and His Barbershop Ministry

"At Billy's Barbershop in Lowell, men come in for fades, comb-overs, and regular haircuts.

"They sit in cushy black reclining chairs under bright lights, inhaling the scent of Clubman aftershave while the young barbers, hip in their baggy shorts and cotton T-shirts, buzz and clip.

"And while music plays and images flash on a flat-screen TV, conversations often turn serious. Because in addition to giving the best haircut in the city, this barbershop was created to furnish hope.

"'I'm not doing anything that hasn't been done before,' says 45-year-old Billy Cabrera, now in long-term recovery from heroin addiction and incarceration.

"Cabrera opened the business and an associated resource center two years ago, after five years of barbering from a rented chair at another shop in the city. He gives a free haircut to any man just released from prison. He hands out pamphlets about 12-step groups, treatment programs, and other social services. And he collaborates with a number of community agencies, including Lowell Transitional Housing, Lowell House Inc., the Merrimack Valley Project, and the Middlesex sheriff's office."

A recent Boston Globe article profiled Mr. Cabrera and his barbershop ministry.

Background information:

The Boston Globe: The best haircut in Lowell, and a place of hope (3 AUG 16)