Women who are homeless in Boston find safe space and care at ‘HER Saturday’
Kathleen Cannata sat in a chair, draped by a hair stylist’s cape.
She was at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s main clinic in the South End, where she normally goes for medical care. But on this day, she was getting a haircut — one she had really looked forward to.
The last several years have been really tough for Cannata. She became homeless after a divorce from her longtime husband, she said. She moved into into a permanent supportive housing unit in Boston last year.
She recently cut her own hair because she was upset by someone’s comments about her grays. But now, professional stylist Joyce Deliyiannis was giving her a new look — for free.
“I see that glow in her eyes, like, when she just wants to make the woman look beautiful,” Cannata said of Deliyiannis. “We need people that are going to lift people up, make people feel important … make them feel better about themselves, so that they can move forward.”
Every Saturday, Boston Health Care for the Homeless runs HER Saturday (which stands for Health, Empowerment and Resources). The organization’s leaders said it’s meant to be a safe space for women to find community, access health care and some basic necessities — and even get a beauty boost.
