What the Dallas Street Choir Taught Me About the Importance of Connection
A year ago, 24-year-old Toria Ellis lived on the streets of Dallas, sometimes spending the night under a bridge or sleeping on sidewalks. But earlier this summer, he found himself on stage singing at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The next night, he belted out a solo of Amazing Grace before a captivated audience at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Ellis, who describes music as “life,” is part of the Dallas Street Choir, a group of people who are homeless and love to sing.
Jonathan Palant, choral director and conductor for the University of Texas at Dallas, launched the group in 2014 to give voice to people experiencing homelessness. Back then, a composer friend asked Palant to have his other Dallas chorus — Credo Choir– perform a requiem in memory of people who died on the streets. Palant says that he accepted his friend’s request, only to realize that a true musical tribute to people living on the streets had to include people who lived that experience every day. So, he formed a choir with a group of people he worked with at a local homeless shelter.
Since then, the Dallas Street Choir has grown from nine singers to nearly 2,000 members who have attended at least one rehearsal. Each Wednesday, people who spent the night sleeping under bridges, on park benches, on sidewalks, or in local shelters start lining up at 7:30 a.m. for a one-hour rehearsal that begins at 9:30. About 80 to 100 people participate each week and they follow rehearsal rules that Palant holds them to.
When I attended the National Cathedral performance earlier this summer, I was blown away by Ellis’ energy and booming voice; he didn’t even need a microphone. I was inspired by the enthusiasm and passion of the chorus. And I was impressed by Palant, who singlehandedly organized and orchestrated a multi-city tour, at notable venues, with mezzo-soprano star Frederica van Stade, and 25 adults who face difficult life challenges, from severe mental illness to addiction.
When I returned home that evening and shared the experience with my 19-year-old son, his response was: “Sounds great, Mom, but how is this helping people get off the streets and into a home? How is this helping people get jobs so they can stay off the streets?”
Those are fair questions. According to the Dallas Commission on Homelessness, an estimated 3,800 people are homeless on any given day in that city. Homelessness in Dallas has grown by 21 percent in the last year, due to poverty and a lack of affordable housing. Like many cities, Dallas has a lot of work to do to get people off the streets and into homes.
Palant acknowledges that joining the Street Choir won’t automatically lead people to housing or a job. What it does, he says, is “get [people] off the street and allow them to forget whatever it is they need to forget for that moment.”
Music can be a conduit to create community and connection, says Palant, because it feeds the body, mind and spirit. “Just because someone is homeless doesn’t mean they don’t have or require that same kind of nourishment as those of us with shelter, food and a bank account. They still need and deserve that musical outlet.”
For Ellis, who is working to get back on his feet and pursue a musical career, the nourishment he gets from singing with the Dallas Street Choir keeps him moving forward, despite his challenges. “If you don’t pay your electricity bill, your lights are going to get cut off and you’ll find yourself bumping into different obstacles that you didn’t see and realize were in front you. Each time I get ready to sing, I feel like I’m going to keep my lights on.”
My son makes a good point about the importance of living-wage jobs and affordable housing.
We know that people who have stable housing live longer and healthier lives than people who don’t. Data from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council shows that the average life expectancy for the chronically homeless is about 50, compared to the U.S. average of about 80 years. We know that many people are working hard to fix the problem. Burness works with a group called A-SPAN, a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness in Arlington, Va., through housing programs, job trainings, and other supportive services. The group succeeded in ending homelessness among Arlington veterans.
People need housing, but they also need dignity and joy in their lives, and they need to connect with their communities. Providing a voice to people who too often have been overlooked, dehumanized, and ignored can help them see that they matter and that they are part of society.
And that’s a place to start.
