(FOX40.COM) -- Paul Samsin, known on the streets and online as "Bouncebacc Sammy", earned his nickname after surviving more than a decade of being homeless.

"They be like, 'Dang, you bounced back,'" he recalls. "I did it so many times, I just took on the name Bouncebacc Sammy."

He was born in Modesto, but he journeyed through homelessness from the Bay Area to LA's skid row, and all across the Central Valley. One day, his path toward stability began with something as simple as a haircut.

"People took me over to their house, gave me haircuts. Barbershops gave me charity cuts, and I just know how good that felt," Sammy said. "People didn't even know I was homeless when I had the fresh haircut."

Those haircuts, he said, gave him confidence, a glimpse of dignity, and sparked his life's transformation. Now, he is paying it forward thousands of times over with his grassroots initiative, the Bouncebacc Foundation.

Sammy travels across California offering free haircuts to the unhoused, including men, women, and even children in need. He's greeted with cheers and hugs while he provides haircuts and emotional support to people in the same neighborhoods where he once struggled.

"It makes them feel good, and when you feel good, you want to network. You want to go out. You kind of almost want to be seen a little," Sammy said.

But his efforts don't always come easy. Sammy and his best friend and business partner Ezekiel Raygoza are often asked to leave public places, even when they're simply trying to help. Sammy keeps going, even if it means setting up haircuts for the unhoused at bus stops.

No matter where he ends up, Sammy's mission remains the same: restoring dignity to those often overlooked and changing the way that people see the homeless.

"This is a whole individual who has a whole life story. They had a childhood. This isn't it, they're not just homeless people," he said. "They still have dreams and aspirations."

Sammy says the work he does and the friends he meets help him with his own healing.

"When I'm not doing this, I start to get a little bit depressed," Sammy said. "This helps with my mental health."

Sammy still has his own dreams, which include growing his foundation into a full non-profit and even a mobile service.

From the streets to standing tall, he says all it takes is a fresh haircut and a second chance to bounce back. He hopes to take his charity work to the streets of Stockton soon.

More information can be found on Sammy's social media page @bouncebaccsammy