“When we ignore the hungy and abandoned around us, we lose a piece of ourselves in the provess.”
– Marta Bohorquez
The energetic troupe of multicultural models, sporting stylish clothing and chic accessories, owned the stage. Their vitality filled the room.
But behind the fun and glamour, this Oct. 26 event also had a serious mission.
The From Homeless 2 Hopeful Fashion Show was organized by a formerly homeless woman with a goal of raising awareness and funds to help her struggling Montgomery County neighbors. Profits from the fashion show will support job and housing search programs offered by the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH.) Like the organizer, some of the beautiful and perfectly-groomed models had also been homeless.
The show was the brainchild of Marta Bohorquez who lost her home after her husband died of cancer. With hard work and help from church friends, neighbors, and the county, Bohorquez and her children now have a new place in Germantown, Md. But after seeing an online video about a homeless military veteran, Bohorquez decided she needed to help others rebuild their lives. Bohorquez, whose family emigrated from Ecuador in the 1990s, organized a group of Hispanic community members called Samaritans4Homeless with a goal of making a difference.
“I believe that the opposite of love is indifference and when we ignore the hungry and abandoned around us, we lose a piece of ourselves in the process,” Bohorquez wrote on Facebook in the days leading up to the event.
The fashion show drew a crowd of government, nonprofit and Hispanic leaders including Montgomery County Council member Nancy Navarro, who spoke of the county’s ongoing efforts to end homelessness.
“Addressing homelessness effectively requires delving deep into the complexity of the problem,” Navarro explained in a statement, citing the county’s goal of ending homelessness. Progress is being made, local officials say.
A total of 891 men, women and children were included in the county’s 2014 point in time homeless count, conducted in January. The figure represented an 11 percent decrease from the previous year. Officials have attributed the reduction to factors including an increase in permanent supportive housing efforts in the county. The number of formerly homeless people increased to 1,771 in 2014, up 4 percent from 2013. Efforts in the county have included the Safe Haven Housing program, which currently provides shelter with intensive supportive assistances to 60 homeless adults with mental illness.
At the fashion show, speakers encouraged members of the audience to get involved in helping, doing everything from donating gift cards to creating “welcome home” baskets to help MCCH clients get settled into their new homes.
