Entering its fourth season, the Atlanta Homeward Choir “works to bring together members from every background and belief system who have ever battled homelessness, using music and performance art as a vessel to uplift, encourage and instill a sense of community in its participants.” The group has received national and international media attention as it continues to “grow as it shares its mission to uplift, encourage and instill a sense of community through the music. Members of the choir from all walks of life are guests of the Central Night Shelter, a joint effort of Central Presbyterian Church and The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, both located on Capitol Hill in downtown Atlanta. The shelter provides a warm place to sleep, a nourishing meal and a hot shower for approximately 100 men every night. Many of the men are currently working or actively seeking employment.
According to their website, the Atlanta Homeward Choir “works to bring together members from every background and belief system who have ever battled homelessness, using music and performance art as a vessel to uplift, encourage and instill a sense of community in its participants. The choir season begins when Central Night Shelter opens its doors on November 1 and continues through March 31 when it closes. Membership in the choir is open to all shelter guests, as well as to other members of the community who were once homeless and are now housed.” The Atlanta Homeward Choir uplifts the men who participate while changing the perception of homelessness in the community by exposing the gifts in these fellow human beings who have been so easily overlooked.
Click here to learn more about the history of the chorus and the founder, Dónal Noonan. The group was featured on CBS after their White House performance in 2015.