Dancing with the Detroit Stars hits 10th anniversary helping homeless

(WJBK) - Alexandria Riley was just 29 years old when a car left her learning to walk again. 

Now 32, she's a licensed builder and real estate broker, with a passion for ending homelessness. 

"The need to help stop evictions and also support building low income housings is incredible," Riley said. "So I salute and I thank South Oakland Shelter for all the work they do."

Dancing with the Detroit Stars benefit is for the South Oakland Shelter, which is an organization that serves more than 3,000 people everywhere through its shelters and other services. 

"We're talking about roughly 20,000 people any given night that are living on the street or in their car or are unsheltered for whatever reason," said Ryan Hertz president and CEO of South Oakland Shelter. 

The Detroit Star is now in its 10th year and has raised more than a million dollars. 

"That's why this event is so important to us," Hertz said. "It generates resources that help with shelter, rental assistance, utility assistance and other supports to keep people safe, housed, warm and able to take care of themselves and their families."

This importance of the event goes back to Riley and her reason for dancing. 

"When you fall back and go through a hardship, you just have to continue to look ahead and push forward," Riley said. "It's a testament to anyone facing homelessness, facing any type of challenge. You have to.”