HOMESTEAD, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida barber runs a school for those who want to follow in his footsteps. What he provides to the less fortunate makes him a cut above in his community.
It was all a buzz Tuesday in Homestead as students from the South Florida Barber Schools prepped for a day of free haircuts.
Their clients, residents of Chapman Partnership, a homeless assistant shelter.
“We’re giving them a new look. Confidence and just a better way to make them feel about themselves,” said Ulises Velasco, a student at South Florida Barber Schools.
Let by longtime barber and owner of the South Florida Barber Schools, Albert Erias, he’s been giving free haircuts here for the past 10 years.
“It’s a warm feeling inside to be able to put smiles on their faces. From the elderly, to people our age, to the little boys and girls. It’s an awesome feeling,” said Albert Erias, owner of South Florida Barber Schools & Miami Clippers:
Erias says its important to be able to support those in need, an act he says helps him and others stay grounded.
“I don’t see anybody achieving a level of success without being kind and giving back and being humble. It goes hand in hand. With success comes kindness and you have to give back,” said Erias.
With locations in Miami and Homestead, Chapman Partnership serves nearly 4,000 men, women and families with children each year, and programs like these play a vital role in their mission to keep people off the streets.
“Partnerships like these and Albert and the south Florida Barber Schools are essential in fulfilling our mission. These services like this, they make our residents feel good, it restores hope and dignity and bring smiles to their faces,” said Candice Myles, Community Relations Manager of Chapman Partnership.
For resident Anthony Ferguson and his two-year-old son Amir, an easy trim is all he wants.
“I’m looking forward to a bald head and a nice tape,” said Chapman Partnership resident Anthony Ferguson.
And it’s the simple act of kindness that goes a long way here. A gesture not taken for granted.
“It feels wonderful to that you come out to the homeless shelter that we can get free haircuts and stuff like that, and have them looking nice and everything. For me, I love it as much. It means so much to me,” said Ferguson.
So while the residents at Chapman Partnership enjoy their new haircuts, the next step for some of them will be applying for jobs and eventually getting into permanent housing.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.