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PHOENIX - For 18 months, Darryl Brandt has used a transformed city bus to deliver more than 1,200 free haircuts to people experiencing homelessness across the Phoenix metro area.
But the mobile barbershop that he calls a "vehicle for change" is now stalled following a New Year’s catalytic converter theft.
What they're saying:
Brandt, known professionally as "The Dreaded Barber," discovered a 3-foot gap under the bus where the converter had been cut away. The damage is expected to cost thousands of dollars to repair—more than half the original cost of the vehicle.
"It was gut-wrenching. It was soul-crushing. It was devastating," Brandt said.
Darryl Brandt, the owner of the "Dreaded Barber"
A barber for 25 years and a certified peer support specialist, Brandt launched the mobile unit to provide more than just grooming. The bus serves as a safe space offering self-esteem, conversation, and connections to job resources and life skills.
"I was in the deep, dark waters of depression, and I found myself getting to the shore," Brandt said of his motivation. "What I realized ... is that there were other people still in the water."
What you can do:
The outreach program operates entirely on community donations without corporate sponsors or grants. Brandt is now asking for the public's help to fund the repairs and get the mobile shop back on the road.