Brandon leads by example
Brandon Berryain doesn’t want his position on our Board of Directors to be a status symbol. For him, it’s an opportunity to ground the Board with his lived experience and encourage other clients to get involved. Brandon says, “As much as being a leader matters, it’s being an example that matters more.”
Brandon’s understanding of strong leadership started at an early age. He watched his dad make his way from custodian to supervisor at the water plant. He remembers marching to the Baltimore Harbor atop his dad’s shoulders after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. From his mom, a teacher who dedicated herself to helping those in her community, Brandon learned compassion. His parents’ example lit a fire in him that has never gone out—even when things didn’t go as planned.
For 20 years, life was tough. Brandon lost both of his parents. He struggled to survive without health care or housing. But when Brandon came to our downtown clinic in 2010, he says, “The stars aligned.”
Since then, Brandon improved his health, moved into his own home and reconnected with the passion for justice that his parents instilled in him all those years ago.
Now, Brandon is gearing up for his eighth Lobby Day, picking out his outfit for our Chocolate Affair and preparing for year two on our Board of Directors. President and CEO Kevin Lindamood says, “When Brandon speaks, everyone listens. He is driven, deeply empathetic and persistent in reminding the Board of the impact their decisions have at a human level. Brandon has played an integral part in growing client involvement across the organization.”
Follow Brandon’s example, and make 2019 the year you connect more deeply with our work.
More Recent News
Homelessness does not strip a person of their membership in our shared humanity, even though our systems often act as if it does.
At our annual staff holiday party, we take time to recognize and celebrate staff members who best represent our Core Values, as well as one recipient of the Von Bradshaw Award, named after Delvonia "Von" Bradshaw, who passed away in 2024 and truly held the principles of Health Care for the Homeless to heart. Please congratulate your colleagues when you see them!
Those of us in the Health Care for the Homeless community share a belief in something powerful: that everyone should have a place to call home.
Hope for that vision isn’t passive. It’s something that clients, staff and community supporters make possible together.
With SNAP benefits in Maryland facing uncertainty, many families are wondering how they’ll put food on the table. Here are ways Health Care for the Homeless is helping, as well as a list of local food assistance resources.