for Gothamist: Meet the Brooklyn barber whose home has become a haven for Venezuelan migrants by José A. Alvarado Jr.

Media

for Gothamist: Meet the Brooklyn barber whose home has become a haven for Venezuelan migrants

josé a. alvarado jr.

Jan 4, 2023

Location: New York City

Summary

Meet the Brooklyn barber whose home has become a haven for Venezuelan migrants

In the heart of Bushwick is a Venezuelan barber who for years has opened his Brooklyn home to friends, acquaintances and strangers arriving from his native country.

Juan Sanchez, a 51-year-old father and husband who comes from a large family and has many cousins, said he learned early on to share what he has. His late mother, he said, taught him to always stretch his resources to assist others.

This year, Sanchez’s three-bedroom apartment has become a haven for more and more travelers who are seeking a new home in the U.S. due to political and economic turmoil in their home country.

“It doesn’t matter to me where they’re from or who they are,” Sanchez said in Spanish. “What matters to me is to know the person and help them however I can, so the person receives that human warmth of family that they left in Venezuela.”

Photographed for Gothamist, with words by Chau Lam and Caroline Lewis

Meet the Brooklyn barber whose home has become a haven for Venezuelan migrants - Gothamist
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José A. Alvarado Jr.

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