LOS ANGELES — Until a few weeks ago, Lindsay Higgins was sleeping on park benches and friends’ sofas.
But on Nov. 7, the 25-yearold former soldier donned a swirling black and cream evening gown and sashayed down the runway at an improvised fashion show in Los Alamitos, Calif., celebrating women’s military service.
“I felt like I could be a model,” she said, beaming.
The event was organized by GI Hope and Amvets, which advocate for veterans and help them find services such as transitional housing, career advice, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.
“It’s very important to us that our women veterans feel special, feel beautiful and feel honored,” said Kenya Lawson, who runs GI Hope.
As more women serve in combat zones, the number who end up homeless after they leave the military has nearly doubled in the last decade, to about 6,500 nationwide, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Although they make up about 5 percent of the homeless veteran population, studies have found they are up to four times more likely to lose their homes than their civilian counterparts.
Female veterans become homeless for the same reasons as the male veterans: difficulties adapting to civilian life after the trauma of combat, a tough job market and alcohol and drug addiction. But many have the additional burden of being single parents or recovering from sexual abuse.
“Our women veterans deserve to come back and have services there for them, and it is not happening as quickly as we would like,” said Ann Reeder, a female veterans coordinator for Amvets.
Higgins said she battled drug addiction and mentalhealth problems after leaving the Army in 2004. She didn’t know help was available until a friend referred her to the Department of Veterans Affairs. She is now in transitional housing and receiving treatment through the New Directions nonprofit group.
Theresa Pane, a 50-year-old former Air Force chaplain’s assistant who spent months living in her van after fleeingan abusive marriage last year, wasn’t sure how she felt about the sparkly blue dress she was asked to model.
“It’s so not me,” she said anxiously. “But blue is my favorite color.”
Greater Light Baptist Church in Santa Ana, Calif., provided the fashions, which ranged from colorful African ensembles to businesslike suits.
Hairdresser Traci Garrett, whose ex-husband battled with post-traumatic stress disorder after he was pulled out of a burning vehicle in Iraq, snipped and curled behind a screen.
Several dozen veterans and their friends cheered on the models. Proceeds from the event will go toward housing female veterans and building their self-esteem, the organizers said. GI Hope is trying to raise $500,000 over the next year to open a housing complex for homeless female veterans and their families.
“A lot of them have lost custody of their kids and in order to regain custody, they need a permanent address,” Lawson said.
She is already planning the next show, which will take place in May.
High Profile, Pages 46 on 11/21/2010