Street Haven Women's Choir

Imagine you hear voices even when no one is speaking. Forget trying to hold a job, you are a danger to yourself as well as others. Imagine you take these voices seriously to the point where when told to undress, go outside and lie in the snow to die, you obey. What hope is there for you?

Hope that someone finds you lying in the snow, help is summoned, you are given medical attention, find ongoing shelter and support. Most importantly, hope that you can join a choir.

You can stop imagining. All this did happen. The individual, we'll refer to as Susan, was found, frostbitten and frightened. A staff member of Street Haven was notified, called an ambulance and accompanied Susan to the hospital. On release, Susan found shelter and support at Street Haven but a large influence on Susan's ongoing recovery according to Madeline Bouzanne, Program Manager, was the choir - the Street Haven Women's Choir.

Street Haven is a drop-in centre and shelter for women in downtown Toronto. Three years ago Ms. Bouzanne attended a meeting of drop-in shelter managers. "A woman at the meeting announced that there was this person, Geoff Butler, Artistic Director of the Toronto Choral Society, who was interested in starting a choir with the population we serve. I jumped at the chance." Her clients had often expressed interest in starting a choir and Madeline had past experience as a music teacher, so she got together with Mr. Butler and the choir was born.

Now in its second year, Ms Bouzanne is emphatic that the choir has done more for its members than any other teaching group offered at the shelter. As evidence, she credits the choir with Susan's current circumstances - living in supportive housing, voices under control with the help of regular medication, and acting as a Peer Support Representative, a position where Street Haven veterans support and mentor new drop-ins.

Many of the choir members once totally reliant on shelter support are now in housing and moving on with their lives. Formerly, for publicity photo shoots and a Vision TV documentary on the choir, some members insisted on having faces hidden for fear of being identified. Now all face the camera with pride, have reconciled with their families, and are proud to showcase their abilities. Membership has grown from ten to eighteen and there are six newcomers waiting to join after the upcoming concert. Only one member has left the choir since inception. "Drugs got the best of her", explained Madeline.

Rehearsals are Wednesday afternoons for one hour. Mr. Butler leads members through a warm-up of breathing, relaxation and vocal exercises before working on concert repertoire. "I must have called every homeless shelter in the city at some point. My feeling was that such a program would really serve the community, not just the homeless community but the larger community as well." Each week the abilities of the choir grow and Mr. Butler has had them sing in cameo performances with the other Toronto Choral Society choirs - the TCS Community Choir and North 44°. As one participant says, "We work hard in the choir, but it has increased our independence and given us the confidence to reach out to others".

As important as pride of accomplishment and teamwork are to the women's personal growth, Madeline insists the positive leadership and role Mr. Butler provides is equally important. In a non-threatening environment, being exposed to a member of a gender which has not always been kind to her clients helps build trust, an important step in recovery. An accomplished tenor in his own right, Mr. Butler is well known throughout Canada and the United States. Since 1994, he has held the position of Artistic Director of the Toronto Choral Society. In addition he is Organist and Choir Master of All Saints' Roman Catholic Church in Etobicoke.

On Sunday November 24, 2002 at 2 p.m. at St. Paul's Basilica, 83 Power St., the Street Haven Women's Choir performed, under the direction of Mr. Butler, "Whisper a Prayer for Me", a celebration of gospel and Christmas music.

The choir was funded originally by a start-up grant from the United Way which will soon be exhausted. Admission to the concert will be donations accepted at the door. Come experience the healing power of song and help support a cause which truly does benefit the Toronto community.