Disclaimer: This story contains potentially triggering content.
Kathaleen is from Central North Carolina and is 49 years old. At 16 years old, her life changed when she was raped at a party by four white boys. At the time, her grandfather and father were members of multiple racist gangs. The boys, who knew her family’s connections, said they did it as a punishment for speaking to a Black schoolmate earlier at the party. The same schoolmate found her and stayed by her side until she got help.
“I didn’t want to be like those boys,” says Kathaleen. “I left home and started bouncing around. It was hard having no money, having to steal to eat, and not knowing where to sleep every night. I didn’t want to be a part of my family’s gang, but if I had stayed, I probably wouldn’t have been homeless.”
Kathaleen had a son, and spent nearly two decades searching for a stable home until she was offered to live with an ex and his girlfriend, Jane. At that point, her life seemed to be improving. Her son was able to move in with his girlfriend, taking some weight off Kathaleen’ shoulders. Unfortunately, her ex went to jail and began a close friendship with Mike, an inmate in the same gang Kathaleen knew from her childhood, and the two of them, along with Jane, began planning the most malicious chain of events.
When Mike was released on bail, Kathaleen was kidnapped and locked in a room for three days without access to a toilet, food, phone, or medication. She was then sold and sex trafficked for drugs. This went on for months until Kathaleen’s son began planning a way to get her out of the situation.
While they were moving between motels, he convinced her traffickers that she collapsed in a bathroom. Scared of being “left with a body,” her traffickers allowed her to go to the hospital. When she arrived, Kathaleen secured her escape and checked herself in under a mental health crisis.
“It was pretty hard, “she says. “But I knew I was on my way. I wanted to get clean, I wanted my kids back, I wanted my life back.”
Kathaleen spent the next two years trying to heal and recover, moving between medical and psychiatric units in 17 hospitals until she moved to Mission Hospital in May 2023. While there, a concerned nurse reached out to Helpmate and RHA Health Services. When Kathaleen was discharged from Mission, Helpmate paid for her to stay in a hotel and contacted Homeward Bound. Three months later, Kathaleen became one of the first people to move to Compass Point Village in October 2023.
“I don’t go out much, and when I do, I don’t go alone. I was afraid I’d be taken back or killed. Those feelings and emotions were holding me back. Then, I moved here, and I’ve just blossomed!
One year later, Kathaleen’s physical and mental health has drastically changed. She’s been sober for two years, her diabetes is under control, she’s losing weight, and her IBS has disappeared. She’s also grateful for the support of her Case Manager, Sunni.
As a survivor of domestic violence and sex trafficking, Kathaleen values the safety provided by Compass Point Village. She urges the public to believe those who come forward as victims or survivors of human trafficking.
“Compass Point Village has helped me from the darkness to the light. I can hold my head high and know that better days are actually coming.”
