Dear Beloved St. Paul’s Family,
My name is Lindsey Seegers. In 2009, I became a licensed lay preacher in the Episcopal Church. A decade later, I befriended St. Paul’s community at a cookout following my first-ever PRIDE parade—leaving with a purple-sleeved “fearless love” tee, and a deep affection for this welcoming congregation.
In 2022, I accepted the call to serve the mission of Voices of Our City. Voices is a 501c3 arts nonprofit, offering outreach, music & arts programming, and long-term community San Diegans for rebuilding their lives out of homelessness–all here on the campus of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Every single day, we are grateful to work towards Voices’ mission amidst the warmth, beauty, and hospitality we have experienced at St. Paul’s. The words “family” and “home” are frequently uttered by Voices of Our City Choir Members who have found this campus a safe place to belong and to heal. When Voices accepted St. Paul’s invitation to move onto campus in Spring 2022, we were a staff of five (each of us in multiple roles, as it so often goes in nonprofits) serving over 100 adults each week. Our org was at an interesting growth point, having recently launched into the international spotlight through the Choir’s Golden-Buzzer win on America’s Got Talent! Thousands across the globe began calling, writing, mailing $5 donations, and asking how to launch a similar social justice-oriented “homeless Choirs” in their cities. All the while, our small-and-mighty team was continuing street outreach and weekly Choir practice with face-to-face, heart-to-heart boots-on the-ground work.
Voices offers a sanctuary to exhale, laugh, dream, feel alive, sing, and simply be. Our open-door approach ensures that no paperwork (or other pre-reqs) stands between our unhoused neighbors and the comforts of a hot shower, a nourishing meal, and the warmth of new friendships.
I wish you could have heard the collective gasp in awe the first time our Choir entered the Great Hall. It was, and remains, a much-needed place of peace for those experiencing the immense trauma of homelessness. It was to be a space for Voices’ weekly Monday rehearsals—but with daytime space availability, we were able to expand to offer creative workshops (painting, storytelling, songwriting) and healing workshops (sound healing, yoga, soul space) four days a week. For the first time in our history, we have a home to offer consistent face-to-face opportunities for Empowerment Planning, offer outreach in partnership with Humanity Showers, and be “home” to those without one. These days, our team of 11 is serving 200+ neighbors a week! We also offer engaged Members direct support for laundry, transportation, food, and temporary rent assistance. Keeping our folks housed remains a critical piece of this work.
With the opportunity to offer daily on-site support at St. Paul’s, we have been able to assist our 100+ active Members. We’ve helped Members like JoJo (a 78-year-young retired nurse) not only move out of her truck and into housing, but by offering a creative community where she met her most beloved friend. We cheered on our Member, Stacey, as he applied for (and secured!) the role of St. Paul’s Sexton, and we supported him in obtaining his incredible new apartment. We help Members move into shelter and safer housing every single month.
At Voices, we use music and art to help people better their own lives. In our 2 ½ years at St. Paul’s, we’ve elevated the musicianship and complexity of our repertoire (continuing in the stylings of soul, jazz, and occasional gospel-inspired tunes) while keeping our musical offerings grounded in themes of social justice and the grace of new beginnings. Through the trust established in our community, we’re using music to help our Members rekindle self-confidence and reclaim the reins of their own lives.
Have you attended a Voices’ concert yet? It is a one-of-a-kind inspiring experience. When we aren’t practicing in the Great Hall, we’re bringing uplifting performances to stages throughout San Diego. This year, we performed here at home: a sunset concert in the Dean’s Courtyard, and an acoustic concert in the Nave. We also accepted special invitations to perform for the Balboa Theater’s 100th Anniversary, at UCSD for Dr. Bernice King, and to cap off the San Diego Symphony’s “Day of Music” for the Jacobs Music Center’s opening weekend.
Speaking of special invitations, I warmly invite you to our biggest concert of the year, “Music Brings Us Home,” on Saturday, October 26th. Come cheer on your city’s talented, tenacious artists and enjoy the repertoire they’ve been learning this entire year. Be our guest as Voices’ Choir honors St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral with our inaugural “Lift Every Voice Award” and come celebrate our shared impact. Learn more about this special event here.
Homelessness needs creative solutions. We give thanks for the blessing of lives already transformed and those still to come.
Your Partner in Ministry,
Lindsey Seegers
Executive Director, Voices of Our City
Lindsey:
You, Stephanie, your team, and the beautiful members of VOOC are a blessing. I came away from the recent acoustic concert so uplifted. Not my first VOOC performance, but a particularly moving experience. Maybe because the concert was in our shared sacred space.
Sending gratitude,