For retired West Indianapolis resident Richard Sweeney Jr., every dollar counts.
Sweeney, 63, took early retirement from his longtime job as an electric motor mechanic a few years ago and is living on a fixed income.
He focuses his money on essentials, including food and fuel for his motorcycle. Haircuts have become luxuries.
“I probably get a haircut about once a month,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney normally does odd jobs, like mowing grass, to make ends meet. But with his motorcycle needing repairs and gasoline topping $4 a gallon due to the Iran war, he’s considering getting a part-time job.
He needs to prepare for a potential interview. Haircuts, which average about $20 near him, have become an essential need.
Sweeney recently received help getting that need met at the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, where the Belisimoda Academy is offering free haircuts from experienced stylists from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays.
It’s part of a program launched by academy owner Diana Matzinger called Corte Solidario, which means Supportive Cuts. Licensed stylists donate their time to provide haircuts to people who need them but may not be able to afford them.
“The idea behind Supportive Cuts is that we’re not just giving people haircuts, we’re helping them keep their dignity,” Matzinger said in an interview conducted in Spanish. “We’re giving them back the power to look in their mirror and say, ‘Wow, I look handsome,’ or ‘I look beautiful.’”
Free hair cuts by pros, not trainees
Matzinger opened the Belisimoda Beauty Salon in West Indianapolis last year.
The salon is across the street from the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center. Matzinger said she’s met people who have had to make the choice between a haircut and food.
She said the free haircuts will ensure that people in this neighborhood won’t have to make that choice.
Many residents have signed up for the cuts but some haven’t shown up to their appointment. She believes that’s due to a misconception that the free haircuts will be done by trainees.
Others that have shown up have tried to make their hairdo as easy as possible for the stylist, potentially, Matzinger believes, due to a lack of confidence in the new program.
“People sit down in the chairs and tell the stylist, ‘Give me a three with the clippers,’ throughout their entire head. That’s because they’re used to free haircuts given by novices at barber schools or beauty schools. They’re choosing the cuts that hurt the least there. We’re offering much more than that,” she said.
Instead of a trainee, people that sign up for the cuts will receive service from Maria Elena Chavez Gutierrez, a stylist with more than 35 years of experience.
Chavez owns her own salon in Speedway, the M&C Beauty Salon at 4715 W. 30th St., but is studying to become a stylist instructor.
She is a firm believer that hair styling is an art, and says her clients are in good hands.
“When you’re cutting hair, you’re helping create a transformation that begins on the outside but travels inside. When you look good, you feel good, and that lifts your self esteem. I feel a spiritual reward when I see that happen,” Chavez said.
Chavez cut Sweeney’s hair one Tuesday morning. When she was finished, he got up from his chair, put on his leather biker jacket and smiled.
“She knows what she’s doing,” Sweeney said.
Where to get a haircut or help out
Matzinger wants to expand the Supportive Cuts program to other neighborhood centers throughout the city or any place where barbers and stylists can use their skills to help Indianapolis residents.
She wants barbers or stylists interested in participating in the program to call the academy at 317-951-6683.
To receive a free haircut, register at this website. Walk-ins are also accepted.
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Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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