I first encountered Brett back in early November. He was standing in an alleyway on King and Prince St, downtown Oshawa. When I walked up to him, his first words were “What does Batman feed Robin?… Worms haha!”. Right off the bat, I could tell he was a jokester!
He stated that he was in a major car accident years ago, that lead him to suffer from a severe brain injury. I noticed this when he repeated the same joke to me again, but this time forgetting the punchline. His severe brain injury lead him to homelessness. He mentioned that he gets a small amount of money every month in his bank account and deposits $25.00 a day in order to not spend all his money in one shot.
From speaking with Brett, I can tell you that he’s very friendly, loves to chat, has a great sense of humor and a positive mindset. He knows how to easily make someone smile or laugh through his personality.
As always, I hope you see the human behind the photograph. If you’re out and about, and you come across someone experiencing homelessness, please acknowledge them. Don’t ignore and just keep walking as if they don’t exist. From speaking briefly with them you can understand them on a personal level and build a connection. Just from chatting with them can make a difference, and helps contribute to ending the stigma towards people experiencing homelessness.
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