The 'Street Thug' who gives back
Paul Nemec, left, stands with one of his happy clients from the HELP Center after cleaning up his head and facial hair through the Street Thug Barbers program. Photo courtesy Paul Nemec.
A before, during, and after photo of a HELP Center client who had his hair cleaned up by Paul Nemec through the Street Thug Barbers program. Photo courtesy Paul Nemec.
He's called a Street Thug, not because of his attitude, but because of his involvement in an international movement that uplifts the homeless community through barber services and human interaction.
Paul Nemec, 33, is a Coeur d'Alene resident born and bred. Best known for his work at Bulwark Barber on Lakeside Avenue, Nemec has also spent the last two years offering hair services at St. Vincent de Paul Father Bill's Kitchen free of charge for the homeless.
The founder of the Idaho chapter of "Street Thug Barbers," Nemec has provided over 500 hair services for the HELP Center residents.
Started by a group of Canadian barbers, the "Street Thug" movement now has locations in Idaho, Oregon, British Columbia, Ireland and Thailand. By offering free hair services to the homeless and struggling, Nemec aims to make a difference in the community and help people get back on their feet with fine heads of hair.
"The individuals that are coming into the program want to get a job, or get in contact with a family member, or are going through the court system," he said. "A haircut can change their whole outlook."
It wasn't easy. At first, Nemec said, many people in the shelters were hesitant about letting him come in and offer services. By sitting down and talking to them, Nemec said he found out that many of them had once had jobs or families, but circumstances took that away.
"When I was able to go give them a haircut and explain that what happened to them often came from one decision of their own, it made a huge difference," Nemec said. "I was able to help them turn it around and show them the light, that there were people that wanted to help them."
Because of COVID-19, Nemec has been limited in helping people at the HELP Center, but usually, you can find him there every other Friday. While other barbers have participated now and then since the program started in 2018, Nemec said he's a one-person team most of the time.
Through "Street Thug Barbers," Nemec does receive some financial aid through T-shirt purchases, and he has had clients and companies donate to him in the past, but most of his work is done out-of-pocket.
"I've got donations from barber companies who send me pomade and shampoos that I give to the people at St. Vincent's, so they don't have to buy it from the store," Nemec said. "I've been blessed with the ability to afford to do it. It's not about me. It's just about giving back."
Like the founders of "Street Thug Barbers," Nemec, too, has faced his own demons. After going through the legal process and justice system when he was younger for addiction, Nemec said it was becoming a barber and going to school that influenced him to turn his life around.
"To be able to be at Bulwark with my brother-in-law, and to be able to be a barber, that meant everything. I hit both feet on the ground and never looked back," he said. "When I look at the individuals I help, it could've been me. I just needed that extra hand to help me get over that edge and turn it around."
His first haircut through the program was Oct. 3, 2018, he said, and it is still the most meaningful. The man knew Nemec was there to give him a haircut, Nemec said, but he didn't know it was free. He tried to pay for it with a bag of chips.
Seven months later, he was in Nemec's chair at Bulwark, almost unrecognizable.
"He said, 'You don't recognize me, do you? You cut my hair at the homeless shelter,'" Nemec said. "Since then, he was able to go get a job, pay off his child support that was backed up, had his kid back in his life, and owned his own place. He made a full circle."
Nemec said he has probably four or five regular clients at Bulwark who were once homeless at the HELP Center. When he's not booked three weeks in advance at Bulwark or volunteering at Father Bill's Kitchen, Nemec said he's also part of an educational team that travels around the country, speaking to students or teaching classes about barbering and Street Thug Barbers.
"It is the life I desired, to interact with people, and give me my own sense of being a positive member of the community," he said. "I've had other jobs, but now people and my clients really appreciate what I do not only because of my services but because I'm a part of their lives from their son's first haircut, to their wedding, graduations, commencements, and confirmations at the church."