Brandon Proposes to his finance', she says yes and the celebration becomes a nightmare.
Brandon's new fiancé Katrina and her sisters’ are at their apartment in celebration of their engagement on Valentines Day 2009. At 35, a firefighter, with 3 great boys and a woman he loves, Brandon thinks to himself...It doesn’t get any better than this.
Then... “SMASH”!
He see stars, then only darkness, until he wakes up.
Can you imagine waking up in jail?
Picture it for a moment...
- You wake up to concrete, bars and fluorescent lights.
- Deafening noise, yelling, fighting, and the clang of barred doors slamming.
- A gross smell burning your nostrils!
- Vomit?
- Urine?
- Dirty sweat?
- OMG, all of them... it’s horrendous.
Now you think... YOU... are going to puke!
Then you notice something more concerning than being in jail.
ü A very large, un-kept man in the corner.
ü He is staring at you and grinning maniacally.
ü Yes, it has gotten a lot worse, actually it is hellish!
His sister in-laws jealousy cost Brandon his freedom, his kids, his world !
Meet Brandon Roberts, originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. Ten months ago returning from his home in New Mexico and the nightmare described above.
After the fact he finds out his fiancés sisters were jealous, got drunk and cold-cocked him, charging him with assault.
Brandon went to jail losing everything.
Ø His job – Wild-land firefighter
Ø His home
Ø His fiance’
Ø His kids – His 3 boys
Ø His normal life, security, possessions and peace
But at least he is free and without a conviction for assault.
Eventually the charges were dropped but not until everything was lost and he was homeless. Thankfully, Katrina his ex-fiancé signed statements regarding the falsity of her sisters and their motivations. Unfortunately, while he was in jail Katrina discovered a new love.
Brandon moves back to Utah
He hopes his family can help, but they have issues that could make things worse. So he picks up a small job once in awhile and frequents the shelter.
As a Homeless man he finds shelter in Utah’s, The Road Home *(Directions)
The Road home shelter provides many things,
- A place to sleep out of the cold
- A place to get hot meals to eat
- A place to clean up and shower
- Limited storage for some things, is available
Even within “The Road Home” there are rules but things get “wild”.
He has been in a fight, defending another man over a bunk bed.
The Social Norms are blurred, things like,
o Respect
o Courtesy
o Personal space
o Culture
o Many of these are distorted and often totally disregarded.
Brandon finds life at the shelter edgy and frustrating, never knowing what might be perceived as an insult or territorial violation. Brandon says it’s like living on the edge of a cliff, each day a new challenge.
Sadly he says many can’t help it, as they are mentally ill.
Brandon’s Advice for those who believe they are immune from homelessness,
“You don’t always get what you want”,
“I guess change can be good, but its up to you.”
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