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Faces & Voices in the News
Hairstylist to the homeless
Sarah Phelan
Saugus Advertiser
December 2 , 2010
Saugus- Coco Chanel once said, “When you look good, you feel good.” Saugus resident Jasmine Marino, a real estate agent and volunteer at the Kitty Dukakis Treatment Center for Women at hopeFound, knows the truth in the fashion icon’s statement.
As a former alcoholic and volunteer stylist at hopeFound, a Jamaica Plain-based nonprofit that helps the homeless, Marino knows firsthand what an empathetic ear and few minutes in the salon chair can do for women recovering from addiction.
“I’ve never been homeless, but I’ve been where these women have been in their addiction,” Marino said “They’re beat up and worn out and all of that takes a toll. I wanted to do something that would make these women feel a little bit better about themselves.”
Marino came upon hopeFound through a friend while seeking a way to help people who had been in her situation.
“I looked at the volunteer opportunities that they had posted and thought that they seemed a little boring,” Marino chuckled.
So Marino decided to get creative. A licensed hair stylist who graduated from Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School, she suggested that she could style hair at the treatment center and hopeFound agreed.
Marino goes to the Morton Street location every four to six weeks — the recommended time between salon visits — and does the hair of “anyone who wants it done.”
Roughly a dozen homeless women ask for haircuts each time Marino visits. She sometimes suggests different ideas — bangs, a shorter style, or just updating a look.
“Eighty percent of the homeless that we serve at hopeFound are struggling with some type of addiction,” said Mary Nee, executive director of the organization. “Our men’s and women’s treatment centers are both early recovery programs, which means that the patients have had only a few days of detox and then they come to us. Many of the homeless women that come to the center are also victims of some type of trauma. They are in a very horrible place in their lives. And in the middle of all of this, to have your hair done, to go through something that is physically transformative, it helps them. They just feel better.”
Former Gov. Michael Dukakis launched hopeFound in the 1980s as an emergency shelter for the area’s homeless at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain.
Since its inception hopeFound has evolved over the last three decades to provide a comprehensive array of services to men and women struggling with issues that frequently contribute to homelessness, such as addiction and mental illness.
Serving more than 3,000 people annually from the Greater Boston community, hopeFound’s many successful outcomes stem from the organization’s focus on recovery, employment, housing and a key ingredient called compassion.
“We have an incredibly caring staff, as well as over 500 volunteers who come in and offer their talents,” Nee said. “Some classical musicians will come in and play; we have volunteers who will do meditation with our clients and even yoga. It is amazing what people will find that they can give to others and what their time means to our clients. The ‘Jasmines of the World’ help our work so much.”
In recovery since 2007, Marino credits her continued sobriety with the support of Grace Ministries in Saugus.
“It is the foundation of my recovery,” Marino said.
Grace Ministries has helped Marino in creating a new alcohol-free life for herself. She began selling real estate with the help of another parishioner and even met her husband Keith at the church. The two married last February.
Currently Marino is attending North Shore Community College in hopes of earning a degree in early childhood education. Marino also has a 2-year-old son, C.J.
And that’s not all. This past January, Marino coordinated the Saugus Vigil Against Domestic Violence for Grace Ministries.
Back in 2009, Marino was given the hopeFound Hero Award presented to volunteers and other organizations who have significantly contributed to the hopeFound community.
“I’m in the victory lap now,” Marino beamed.
For more information about hopeFound and its outreach programs and volunteer opportunities, please visit http://www.hopefoundboston.org.