Opinion: The life-saving difference salons can make

Walk into any neighborhood in New York City and you’ll find them: the hair salons, nail spots, threading studios and small beauty businesses where people go not just to look good, but to feel like themselves again. For many survivors of gender-based violence, these are some of the only places they can go to alone – without a partner watching, questioning or controlling their every move. A simple salon appointment can be one of the few moments in their week where they feel safe enough to breathe, talk and ask for help. 

As a City Council, we took a major step this June to better support survivors by establishing a new, dedicated stream of funding for culturally specific gender-based violence service providers. We set aside $3 million to strengthen nonprofits in all five boroughs that are multilingual, rooted in community and often the trusted first point of contact when someone is finally ready to say, “I need help.” This historic initiative begins to correct longstanding inequities in philanthropy and public support for these crucial, community-based organizations. 

Those funds will help local nonprofits hire more counselors, expand intake and serve more survivors. But funding alone is not enough if survivors never learn that these services exist or don’t know where to turn. We still have more work to do to make sure that information about help – free, confidential, culturally competent help – actually reaches people where they already are. 

That is why we introduced City Council legislation, Int. 1216: to bring lifesaving information into the very businesses where survivors feel safest. 

As community leaders who also visit local salons, we know that these spaces are more than just places for haircuts, threading or manicures. They are social hubs. They are cultural anchors. They are the neighborhood living room. People come to them to connect with their cultures, catch up on community news and share stories with people they trust. For immigrant survivors in particular, salons often feel like home – where they are seen, heard and able to speak in their own language without fear of judgment. 

Our bill would require the city to provide salons with clear, multilingual posters – at no cost – that explain the signs of gender-based violence and list free hotlines and services where survivors can get help. Because salons are spaces where New Yorkers of all backgrounds gather, these posters will be available in the 10 most commonly spoken languages in our city. Salons will also be allowed to design their own posters, as long as they include the required information, so that materials feel authentic to their communities and spaces.

These posters won’t just reach survivors themselves. They will also inform friends, family members and even salon workers who may see warning signs in someone’s behavior or conversation and want to know how to help. A single phone number on a salon wall could be the bridge between ongoing abuse and the first step toward safety. 

In 2024, over 110,000 reports of domestic violence were made to NYPD precincts – about 300 every single day. That number is staggering on its own, but it still doesn’t capture the full reality. Many survivors, especially from communities of color and immigrant communities, do not feel safe calling the police or interacting with the criminal legal system at all. For them, referrals to community-based organizations and hotlines are not just helpful – they are essential. They offer confidential support, safety planning, language access and culturally competent care from people who understand their lives. 

By putting this information in salons, we are not asking stylists or technicians to become social workers or law enforcement. We are simply making sure that, if someone is ready to reach out, the tools are right in front of them – no internet search, no complicated system, no need to explain themselves to someone who may not understand. 

Giving salon customers easy access to resources is a small change with potentially enormous impact. Int. 1216 is a practical, common-sense step that uses spaces people already trust to share information that can save lives. 

Ending gender-based violence will require many tools: stronger funding for services, better prevention and education, serious accountability for abusers and policies that center the needs of survivors. This bill is one piece of that larger effort. By turning everyday salons into quiet gateways to safety, we can help ensure that every survivor in New York City knows this: you are not alone, help exists and your community is behind you.