PLEASE MEET JEFF AND BRANDY :
Homelessness carries visions of cartoonish characters. Outlaws and bogeymen. Demons and danger. As a kid, dangerous places taunted me. Woods, bridges, abandoned buildings. But if danger is your deal, you may find homeless encampments boring. Because, with notable exceptions, in an encampment you’re more likely to encounter Ned Flanders than Vincent Price. Doris Day than Cruella de Ville. The Jefferson’s rather than the Adam’s Family. If homelessness were TV drama, Jeff and Brandy are the couple next door in a 70’s sitcom. Quirky, witty, engaging. Sometimes outshining the main characters.
Brandy is a jovial soul with flowing red hair. She enjoys company and conversation. A genuine woman, she laughs often, but speaks with conviction. She’s delightful but don’t mess with her. She yields no quarter to trouble makers. A neighbor fellow was recently evicted for harassing women. “If he was on fire I wouldn’t piss on him,” she laughs, pulling back her long red hair. Brandy was a competition roller skater. Her eyes catch fire when she talks about it. She’s tough. But also enjoys drawing and has an insatiable appetite for homemade cheese cake.
Today there’s tension. An upcoming sweep has them agitated. Brandy is packing up. In frustration, she’s tossing belongings into bags with a vengeance. Pontificating passionately about the city’s failed policies. Still yapping, she grabs a stick deodorant and vigorously applies it under her sweatshirt before tossing it at an open suitcase where it bounces and hits the floor. All without breaking verbal stride. Brandy will always crack you up. Jeff keeps a low profile in these instances.
Jeff is quieter. He works hard. Roaming alleys nightly, collecting recyclables. He returns after sunrise. “We survive on the money from the cans. But you’d be surprised at what people toss in dumpsters. Tools, valuables, even money.” He points at 4 large sacks of fresh food discarded from a Starbucks. He smiles, “These will feed our entire camp today.” Jeff is a framer and general woodworker but has had trouble staying employed. “School never worked for me. But I learn well on the job.”
Jeff and Brandy have been homeless and in love together a long time. But why are they homeless? Having known them for 3 years I can only say it’s not a lifestyle they choose. But knowing Jeff and Brandy, one can’t help but conclude that, by stereotypical expectations, these two simply don’t look or act homeless. But on the stage that is poverty, Jeff and Brandy reside in the wings. Behind crooked props. Out of view of the critics. Defying audience expectations.
Beacon Hill Neighborhood | Damian
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