Homeless Woman Breaks Down Crying When Asked About Being Member of Homeless Chorus
“There’s all different types of homelessness, but we all, at the end of the day, have the same heart,” said a homeless woman named Carrie.
“We’re still a person. How would you want someone to treat your sister, your brother, your mother, or your father if they were out on the street? And people need to realize and step back that this could be you one day.”
Homeless people face stigma and misconceptions every day. It’s difficult for people who are not homeless or have never experienced it to truly understand why it effects some and not others.
A lot of people assume that all homeless people got there because of their own misuse of drugs and/or alcohol: and while that may be the case for some, it is certainly not everyone’s story.
Carrie is an example of that. She faced some incredibly difficult circumstances in her life that led to her being homeless. It wasn’t overnight, and it didn’t start with her.
“Before I became homeless, you know,” she said, “I worked at Mass General, I had a nice apartment in East Boston and I ended up becoming disabled because of being in a domestic violence relationship. And in 2012, I was stabbed 11 times. It’s very hard.”
Another woman, Rottisha, has never had to deal with being homeless before now. She even led a successful life before finding herself on the streets.
“This is my first time that I’ve ever been homeless in my life,” Rottisha said. “Myself, I always went to private schools, had my own business.”
Both Carrie and Rottisha have gained some of their pride and well-being back, though, through a very special program started by Eureka Ensemble.
According to their Facebook page, Eureka Ensemble strives to “identify an issue facing our community, build strategic partnerships with civic and social organizations, and then join together in chamber groups and as an orchestra to use music to address that issue.”
“For the 2018–19 season, we will focus on communities disenfranchised by displacement, homelessness, and childhood obesity.”
Kristo Kondakçi, who spearheaded this effort, said that the program extends beyond just the musical aspects. “So, we created a choir fellowship program for the homeless community which involves a stipend, meals during rehearsals, and opportunity for team building, community building, healing, sharing your story, and group empowerment,” he said.
“I heard of Eureka Ensemble from our director who said there was going to be a choir being put together from all different shelters in Boston,” Carrie said. “We each sang what we felt was in our heart and I started to sing and then started to cry because it was such an emotional song that I did.”
“I was in the hospital after an attack from my son’s father and my dad would play songs for me… So I sang a song that touched my heart,” she said through the tears. “It was ‘I can’t live (if living is without you).'”
“Once we joined the choir we were trepidatious at first,” Rottisha admitted. “Just feeling like we were gonna be used as pawns to make someone else feel better. It was a totally different world. It reminded both of us that we were human.”
Proceeds from tickets sold for the “Sheltering Voices” performances went to a local shelter, completing the circle.
“I just want to say thank you for the opportunity,” an emotional Carrie said. “Because it’s great to be treated like a human again.”
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