At 14, Delta College student and President of the Black Student Union (BSU) Davis Dotson found himself homeless, aimlessly wandering the streets, and learning how to survive.
“That time…when I was 14, there was a brief moment…it was the hardest time of my life, because I didn’t know what to do,” said Dotson.
Every morning Dotson rolls out of bed, greets every passerby with a hello, straps a 100-pound blue travel bag to his shoulders and walks to Delta College to shower. The water starts out cold so he waits for it to warm up before jumping in.
His foster mother was a nurse and his twin sister was a pharmacy technician, through them he was able to find things such as running water.
“As I got older I got wiser, I got adaptable; carry less stuff, and if you are working don’t look like you’re making a lot of money,” said Dotson.
A part of utilizing resources is going to school, Dotson says and he urges students who are financially struggling to use the services that Delta or any other school may provide. He visits the food pantry at Delta, which is open five days a week.
Now in his early thirties he has personally decided to stay on the streets to finish his degree in Criminal Justice and Early Childhood Education.
“I have 36 units left right now … I have a house in Pineville after my brother passed away it became mine. I could go there, but I want to stay here and finish school,” said Dotson.
During the day, Dotson likes to hang out in Danner Hall, where he uses the free WiFi to finish up homework, work on events as the President of BSU and talks with his friends. By night he works as a program manager for “Right at School” before going back to a church near Quail Lakes where he sleeps.
It was 2016 in a moment of spontaneity, Dotson was helping a group of kids play basketball at a Morada park when a parent offered him the role as coach for the kids at YMCA.
“I have passion for it, I do it for free and I like to give back to the community,” said Dotson.
He said he later left the Y after a disagreement with a supervisor. It was 107 degrees outside, a child wanted water but the supervisor wanted them to finish their exercise.
“I was keeping it real … this is not a prison. Why would you want a child to finish walking lines in 100-degree weather,” said Dotson.
During COVID, he was living in his car and claimed he was arrested multiple times.
There was also a time he dubbed “the pandemic accident” because he was side swiped by a car, crashing into a telephone pole and was hospitalized for a few days.
Dotson gives back to his community, helps others around him and stays positive, he believes preconceived notions and judgment still follow him because of his homelessness.
“A lot of people try to bring me down, people try to judge me for my situation. Don’t say all homeless people are dirty and drug addicts. I don’t do drugs … my job has nothing to do with my homeless situation,” said Dotson.
For people who aren’t happy and have a roof under their head, Dotson understands that life can be hard and sympathizes with the human condition. His advice is to utilize the resources and to manage your money wisely.
“I would say cherish the moment…if you have a roof over your head you can still get stressed out. It could be worse,” said Dotson.
