CHICAGO -- The voices raised in unison in the community room of the 12th District Chicago Police Department station on a recent Thursday evening belonged to less than a dozen youth singing gospel and R&B songs. It was a scene that may have looked better suited for a church or school stage, more familiar settings for a vocal ensemble.
But the pandemic kicked familiar to the curb for so many, including the Voices of Youth Ensemble (VOYE), a nonprofit whose mission is to “draw from the power of performance, song and common goals to help young people from under-resourced environments understand and embrace their highest possible selves.” VOYE was rehearsing in George W. Collins senior apartments across the street from the police building, at 1412 S. Blue Island Ave., for seven years until COVID forced the ensemble to relocate to a church. But after almost three months at a West Side church, which itself was in a temporary location, VOYE was left without a home.
That’s when a member of the CPD’s 12th District advisory committee brought VOYE’s dilemma to the attention of Paris Edwards, a community policing officer.
