A Halifax barbershop is putting its clippers to work for a good cause by treating homeless men to haircuts.

"Someone may be down on their luck. Someone may be having a rough go ... it may just not be their kick at the can, but a haircut can definitely turn things around," said Mark Peyton, owner of Sailor Bup's Barbershop.

Shelter Nova Scotia partnered up with Sailor Bup's, forming the Care Cuts program. Volunteer barbers will go to Metro Turning Point once a month.

You always look after your fellow man. - Mark Peyton

The first visit happened Wednesday.

"It went super well," said Colleen Ritchie, who works with Shelter Nova Scotia in the communications and development department. "It's just a really nice experience for them to be able to have that service in a place where they're comfortable."

Ritchie said the haircuts are a confidence booster.

"It gives you a sense of self that maybe might have been missing," Ritchie said. "You feel like you know you have a chance. You could go out and apply for a job. You can hold your head up and feel a bit lighter literally and figuratively."

The program also gets people meeting some of the guys there, and learning who they are, Ritchie said.

Shelter Nova Scotia says the haircuts are a confidence booster. (Sue Siri)

The new project provides an extra service to Metro Turning Point clients, but it also acts as a fundraiser for Shelter Nova Scotia. Ritchie said for every $10 that's donated to the project, a haircut is provided.

There's hope to expand the haircut program to other locations such as at their Barry House women's shelter. They also hope to serve community clients who come to Metro Turning Point.

Sailor Bup's has volunteered for Shelter Nova Scotia before through the Halifax Connects program, which is a day dedicated to pampering people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless.

For Peyton, the experience is a good opportunity to give back to the community. That's something his dad Bup, who was in the Navy, taught him.

"He actually instilled me with a lot of values and a lot of things that I try to put forward day in and day out in that shop," Peyton said. "And that's one thing that he taught me, you know, you always look after your fellow man."