Kathleen Cannata sat in a chair, draped by a hair stylist's cape.

She was at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program's main clinic in the South End, where she normally goes for medical care. But on this day, she was getting a haircut -- one she had really looked forward to.

The last several years have been really tough for Cannata. She became homeless after a divorce from her longtime husband, she said. She moved into into a permanent supportive housing unit in Boston last year.

She recently cut her own hair because she was upset by someone's comments about her grays. But now, professional stylist Joyce Deliyiannis was giving her a new look -- for free.

"I see that glow in her eyes, like, when she just wants to make the woman look beautiful," Cannata said of Deliyiannis. "We need people that are going to lift people up, make people feel important ... make them feel better about themselves, so that they can move forward."

Every Saturday, Boston Health Care for the Homeless runs HER Saturday (which stands for Health, Empowerment and Resources). The organization's leaders said it's meant to be a safe space for women to find community, access health care and some basic necessities -- and even get a beauty boost.

Deliyiannis volunteers cutting hair at the event once a month. She said she sees herself in the shoes of the women whose hair she cuts.

"That could be me tomorrow," Deliyiannis said, adding that she's grateful for the experience.

"Actually, I should say, 'Thank you for the opportunity.' I do believe that [we're] all an opportunity to each other. And if we bring all the good people together, we really can move the mountains."

Right next to the hair-styling station, volunteers moved mounds of clothing -- jeans and sweatshirts that were donated, and socks and underwear purchased by the organization. Women sifted through the selection and walked away with some new items.

All the while, music -- from American R&B to Haitian pop -- played from a speaker set up in the building's lobby. Women sat around tables cluttered with bottles of nail polish, blush and eye shadow compacts, and mirrors. They did their own makeup and nails, or got them done by volunteers. At another table, women worked on craft projects.

Melinda Thomas, a physician assistant and the associate medical director at Boston Health Care for the Homeless, said the organization started HER Saturday about eight years ago because women had asked for a safe space to come together. It stopped for four years during the pandemic, but started back up again this year.

Many women who are unhoused have experienced trauma, including physical or sexual abuse and domestic violence, Thomas said. They face a heightened risk of sexual assault and other harm while unhoused. Plus, homelessness itself adds trauma.

All of that contributes to distrust of the medical system, Thomas said, so the event is a way to connect people with care of all kinds.

"By creating a place where people can come in, have fun activities and commune with each other, over time, they get to know the staff really well," she said. "And because of that, when women feel safe, they're more likely to access care or tell us about things that they may not be telling other people about."

That includes sex work and domestic violence. Thomas said the program's domestic violence advocate sees more women at the Saturday event than she does the entire week.

Women can get lots of other care on the spot -- from sick visits and basic health screenings to Pap smears and contraception.

Off to one side, a woman who was clearly in distress talked to several staff members. She was upset about something that was happening to her in her living situation. The team brought her to speak with a behavioral health clinician.

Another woman, a Haitian immigrant named Elaine Joseph who was staying in the women's shelter next door, said she needed help, too.

"[I'm] struggling. [It's] hard to take showers and eat by myself," Joseph said in Haitian Creole to a program coordinator, Shirley Berard, who translated for her.

Joseph said she had a stroke about a year ago, before she came to Massachusetts.

She had already been to Boston Health Care for the Homeless for some medical appointments, but didn't yet have a dedicated provider. Berard arranged for her to come back to the clinic during the week and get set up with a primary care doctor.

Some of the 80 or so women who showed up on this day came mainly for the fun the event provides, though.

"The makeup, the snacking and the girl talks. And ... picking out a new outfit," said Pinky Valentine.

She sat still as volunteer Chloe Park swept some blush onto her cheeks with a cosmetic sponge.

"You gotta, like, make it pop," Valentine said as the two discussed color choices. "If it's not pink, you gotta make it, like, fuschia."

Valentine said as a homeless transgender woman, she experiences violence and harassment. So she seeks out spaces and events like this that are focused on female or trans wellness and community -- a bright note in her journey to get out of shelter and back into a place of her own.