The story below is from our May/June 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Photos Courtesy of Brandon Brando
How one Roanoke man is tackling the homelessness problem, one tiny house at a time.
Roanoke native Brandon Brando, a freelance audio-visual tech, has never grasped the concept of how the richest country in the world can have so many people living on the streets. According to data collected from a Blue Ridge Continuum of Care Report, there are hundreds of people experiencing homelessness throughout the Roanoke Valley at any given time.
Housing and homelessness remain two of Virginia’s most pressing crises.
Helping the less fortunate has always made Brando, 37, feel empowered. A conversation with a homeless veteran a few years ago changed how he looked at life. “I used to take walks through my neighborhood, and I eventually befriended a homeless gentleman that lived in a cardboard box with a tarp over it. I saw him often and we had some deep conversations. I quickly realized that giving him a couple dollars wasn’t going to solve his issue. I wanted to impact his way of living, and that would be to provide him with some sort of shelter,” Brando says.
He adds, “Unbeknownst to me at the time, he was homeless and living out of his car. Because I took an interest in his life story with no judgment, he opened up to me, and I was able to help him enter a new chapter in his life. That experience reinforced to me that just because one is homeless doesn’t necessarily mean it is their fault. Sometimes life just gives you a bad set of cards.”
Part of the reason Brando believes the homelessness problem remains an issue is because so many have the mindset that if they ignore it, the problem will simply go away.
“Experience tells me that most people don’t need much to feel like they have a place to call home. Individuals who come from privilege sometimes have a difficult time comprehending how the most simple things can make all the difference in the world. My parents raised me to be unapologetic when it comes to helping others and I wholeheartedly credit them for my giving spirit,” he says.
Last summer, after building a tiny home in Georgia for another veteran, Brando was moved to build a tiny home for a Roanoke woman named Dawn after learning of her story. Since strategy plays a role in everything that Brando does, he was very meticulous on how he approached the task at hand.
He conservatively estimated that the project would cost $450, but once he rolled up his sleeves and got to work, he quickly blew past that projection. Collectively, the parts and labor alone cost over $1,000. While a few donations were received, Brando and his cousin Tiphaney primarily covered the expenditures.
“A live station is essentially a wooden shelter. Dawn’s live station was eight-foot by four-foot with a solar generator accompanied with a 100-watt solar panel. It had enough space for a coffee maker and cellphone charger,” he says. “Locks on the door were installed to keep Dawn’s belongings safe and we also added a ‘welcome’ mat and home décor sign for the final touches.”
Even though she knew her tiny home was coming, when it actually happened, Dawn was overwhelmed with emotion.
“The property owner was kind enough to allow us to house the unit on her land. Dawn was elated when she finally had a place to call home,” Brando says. “She cried tears of joy, and couldn’t stop dancing and smiling. All signs pointed to the tiny home giving Dawn a new lease on life at the time.”
A combination of factors unfortunately led to the demolition of the tiny home in March, but Brando says he has no regrets. In fact, he plans on building even more live stations in Roanoke for those in need before 2023 comes to an end.
A year ago, Brando created ByondMe, a solution-based program designed to empower underserved individuals in the community. It’s not always easy, but Brando does his best to find a balance between his work life and his passion for uplifting others and providing hope.
“My ultimate goal is to help as many people as possible,” he says. ”I just finished my music project called Voicemail, which is available for download on my website. I will also be releasing merchandise in the spring, and 20% of all sales will go towards funding additional Live Stations and impacting the community as much as possible.”
Individuals interested in supporting Brando’s vision are encouraged to visit imbrandonbrando.com/byondme for more information.
The story above is from our May/June 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
