A haircut and a hand up for the homeless

Three years ago, Larry said, he suffered an accident while at work. He tried to catch a 7-foot armoire that was tipping over. He damaged discs in his back, pinched nerves and tore muscles.

It was the beginning of a downward spiral that saw Larry, 39, lose his possessions one by one until finally he began living in his car.

"I'm not like this because I am lazy, I'm hurt. I don't drink a lot or do drugs. I haven't touched pot since the Reagan administration," said Larry, who declined to give his last name.

Larry was one of more than 100 homeless people who took advantage of the inaugural Homeless Connect at the Pony Express Pavilion on Saturday in Mills Park. The event was designed to bring a variety of services to one place, allowing those in need to collect information, get school supplies, food, a hot shower and a haircut.

"It really opens your eyes," said Kathy Wolfe, administrative Health and Human Services officer. "Most of us are just a paycheck away from being in their shoes."

The event also allows HHS to gather information about the homeless population.

"The survey tells us what services are being used and not being used. How long they have been homeless and the reasons why," Wolfe said.

By 9:30, Brian O'Connell already had several people waiting in line for haircuts.

"I've been coming out to give haircuts for 3 or 4 years but I've been cutting hair for about 46," O'Connell said. "I figure I have a talent and people need it. What goes around comes around and one day I might be one of them."

After getting his hair trimmed, Larry talked about being one of the more fortunate among the homeless in Carson City. He has a phone and a storage locker, plus his truck to sleep in. But he said the stigma of being homeless still exists.

"There's a stigma attached to being homeless. People think we are leeches or parasites on the system but some of us go to work every day. We don't collect Social Security or subsidies, we're not drug addicts or drunks," Larry said.

"We're not bums. We're still people, we have families."

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.