Bronx Fashion Show Designed To Help Homeless Women

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A fashion show in the Bronx is designed to do more than show off the latest trends.

The models live at a women's shelter called Susan's Place.

Tanya Grizzle has been homeless on and off for years and said being part of the show gives her confidence.

"You see yourself as who you are and the best of you," she told CBS2's Cindy Hsu.

"These are educated women, these are women who didn't choose to be homeless," the shelter's director Simone Thompson said. "You know life circumstances, mental illness, job loss."

Tiffani Moore coordinates the show and gets the clothes donated.

"The big picture is for these women to understand that they are worth it," she said.

Kristina Reed said depression and other issues sent her spiraling down. Talking about Moore brought her to tears.

"She's dear to my heart, she always makes me feel really beautiful and really special," she said.

The money the show raises will go to the shelter's boutique Classic Reruns, which is filled with donated clothing and accessories that are given to women when they are ready to things like job interviews.

Reed is almost there and plans to move out of the shelter next month.

Veronica Pagan hopes to get back on her feet to help her children.

"I want to see my children become beautiful geniuses," she said.

When she walks the runway, she will be thinking of her grandmother Marie who passed away nine years ago and always dreamed of Pagan becoming a model.

"I'm going to see her face right at the end, and when I see her face at the end I'm going to say 'grandma, I did it,'" she told Hsu with a laugh.

This marks the fourth year of the fashion show, which will be held Friday night in Soho. Over the years, the show has raised more than $20,000 to help the women in the shelter.