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Editors note: Out of Sight, Out of Mind is a series in which Clark Curtis will take a closer look at homelessness in Washington. Speaking with those who have experienced it firsthand and managed to turn their lives around, those who currently struggle to find safe and permanent shelter, and what options are available locally for temporary housing.

“I became homeless in Washington in 2005, just me and my four children ranging in ages from four to ten,” said Waukesa Rawls. “I was a battered woman and was on the run.”

Rawls ran to Kinston to get away and received temporary help from her sister. While in Kinston, she learned about My Sister’s House in Nash County, which provides services for victims of domestic violence. Rawls felt her days of flight might finally be over, as she was scheduled to be placed in an apartment. But that sudden sense of relief was gone in an instant. “Someone in my family told the man who had battered me where I was, and he just showed up one day,” said Rawls. “So we were on the run once again and came back to Washington. By then, I was worn out. I purchased an old beat-up car for $400, and we started living in it. The only way you could get in and out of it was through the driver’s door or the trunk. We used to call it the “grey beater.”

Living in the car and hiding the realities of her situation became the norm for the next year and a half. The utter shame of it all kept her from telling anyone what was going on, as each day was a challenge making sure her children were being fed and taken care of and keeping their hidden lives a secret.

Rawls would take her children to school each morning and was always there to pick them up. She would then take them to friends’ homes, where they would stay until they fell asleep. Sometimes, that would include a quick meal and a bath for the kids. “I would then pack them back in the car for the night,” said Rawls. “Many times, that was behind the Hotel Louise when it was still open, as well as Havens Gardens and other locations. They would wake up in the morning, and the daily routine would start all over again. And they still didn’t know they were homeless.”

Rawls said she always made sure to have jugs of water and dish detergent in the car so she could bath them. “Dish detergent always seemed to last longer than regular soap,” said Rawls. “I used to take them to the end of River Road and wash them off. I would also take them to the Mount Zion soup kitchen to eat. I would go to the Salvation Army on Mondays to get free clothes for them. I always made sure to iron and neatly fold them with no wrinkles and place them on the back seat of the car. I didn’t want anyone to think that they were homeless.”

As time went on, the two oldest children finally realized that something was up and she urged them not to tell their younger siblings. “I remember the day when the eldest asked if we were poor,” said Rawls. “I told them we were just in between blessings.”

Rawls would eventually get into Section 8 Housing. But as she explained, she messed all of that up. “I became depressed and just gave up mentally so I started using drugs and alcohol,” said Rawls. “To make money, I started doing “tricks” with men and stealing stuff to make ends meet. I had lost everything once again so I ran away from Washington and went back to Kinston. I was ashamed and didn’t want people in Washington to see what had happened to one of the most popular girls in school.”

Out of pure desperation, she returned to Washington and started living with whoever would take her and her kids in, including her ex-husband. However, her drug and alcohol addiction had taken control of her life, and she was in and out of rehab. The Department of Social Services was called in and took her four children. “I was in desperate need of help as I had fallen into a state of self-pity and depression, and I wasn’t strong enough to get myself out of it,” said Rawls. “That is when I enrolled at Bishop Jones Project New Hope to try and get things turned around. It took two tries in the program, but in 2011, I finally became clean. I did it cold turkey and have remained clean ever since. I also got my kids back. If it wasn’t for Bishop Jones, I would still be out there drinking and drugging.”

Rawls shared that being homeless was nothing new to her as it has impacted her life since she was a young child. “It wasn’t until I was 40 years old that my sister told me that we grew up in an abandoned house in Aurora,” said Rawls. “We had no lights, heat, or water. I slept on blankets on the floor at night. We would go to other homes to eat. It never dawned on me that we were homeless. My mother was also a drug addict but still managed to take care of us the best she could. I guess that is how I learned how to take care of my kids.”

On a personal note, Rawls said there are a lot more homeless out there than people realize. “People walk by folks daily who are homeless, and they don’t even know it,” said Rawls. “They mask it just like I did. I believe it is worse now than it was when I was homeless. You see more people using grocery carts, lying on the ground under trees, sleeping in cars, and camped out by movie theaters and storefronts. There is a lack of affordable housing for these individuals who are in desperate need of safe shelter of their own.”

Rawls added there are a lot of misconceptions about homelessness, which contribute to the problem. “The most common is that the homeless are all criminals, or drug addicts, mentally ill, or just lazy,” said Rawls. “But what about those who have lost their jobs or been evicted from their homes or apartments because they can’t pay the rent? Nobody wants to be homeless. Something has happened to them, or something went wrong. We need to be compassionate and understanding of that.”

Rawls continues to work for Bishop Jones. All of her children are grown and doing well. Her dream is to start her own nonprofit and take care of abused elderly and the homeless.