(Editor’s Note: This is the first in an occasional series by the Elizabethton Star sharing the story of homelessness in Northeast Tennessee.)
Occasionally driving through the region, Brian Carroll will tear up at what’s around him.
It’s not a typical story. Carroll, a native of Carter County, is back in the region and is currently living out of his car, which he recently was able to purchase for $200.
Without a suitable roof over his head, the goal never changes about wanting to help others.
“When I’m out driving, I can see so many homeless people,” Carroll told the Elizabethton Star. “You can see by their hygiene, the way they carry themselves. I’ll sit in the car and just cry because there’s not much I can do. If I have money, I’ll give it to others. I grew up in a poor family, so I know what it’s like. I might be different, but I have the same heart. We’re not all different.”
The difference Carroll speaks of just doesn’t talk about his homelessness. During a sitdown interview with the Elizabethton Star, Carroll, who is transgender, was joined by his significant other. The two stay together in Carroll’s car.
“I started from Hampton High School,” Carroll said about his journey. “I went off to college for two years in Florida and I was able to get my business degree. After that I decided I wanted to come back home. I just missed it.
“I wanted to come back and try again,” he continued. “I went and applied for jobs but everything came back to me being transgender. It was hard finding jobs (in the area) being like that. Most didn’t want to hire me because of it and most even said ‘I can’t do it because it’s a bad reputation for our business’. Ever since all that occurred, I had been living on the streets. I was abusing drugs for awhile but I was able to get off. I’ve been clean now for three years.”
Carroll has been deemed homeless for a year now after getting into a fight with his sister, he said.
“We got in a fight so I wanted to go out and start on my own,” he said.
But the journey with his significant other has helped ease the burden, he added. After trips to mental institutions, including Woodridge, Carroll stated his significant other has helped with his mental health.
“These are my ‘battle wounds’,” Carroll said, showing his arm lined with multiple scars. “They’re more than that but that was one way I coped. He (motioning to his significant other) has helped me with this and has talked me out of suicide. He’s taught me how to cope and better adjust to situations. I used to read and he has encouraged me to get back into it. Being out on the streets, it changes a person.”
The hard part now is not having a home, Carroll said, but he added that things are starting to look up.
“I was homeless in Johnson City and it was terrible,” he said. “I moved out to Elizabethton and things have started to look up now. I was able to get a job about two weeks ago at Red Chili and I just want to thank the owner for giving me a chance.”
Typically taboo to speak about, Carroll hopes his story encourages others to come forward and speak and show that there are ways to help. The most recent Appalachian Regional Coalition for the Homeless homeless count documented 22 people in Carter County that were recognized as homeless by guidelines put in place by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“People need to know that there are homeless people out here that are willing to do what they can to get off the streets,” he said. “I know people out here that are selling themselves to make money and that just hurts my heart. I’m not asking for a handout, I’ve made it this far, but I want my story to maybe help somebody else that is going through tough times. We’ll sleep in the car, maybe for four hours at the max. But that’s OK, because I know we can get by. I just want to help others.”
Steps are currently in place to help address the issue. Carolyn Shrader, executive director with Red Legacy, added she’s in the process of getting a committee together to look at the possibility of having ‘white flag’ facilities in the county that can take in the homeless during cold nights.
Carroll also passed along words for people going through rough times. The basis, he explained was just being yourself.
“I’ve done drag, I did it for three years honestly, but that was just a costume,” he said. “I would tell people to never give up. If you have a dream, continue with it. If you’re different and afraid to express yourself, don’t be. Just do it. Don’t care about what other people think and do what you believe in. That’s what I always run by, if you have a voice, use it. That’s how we’ll get things done. If I share my story, maybe other people will come forward. Something will happen, we just have to have faith.”