From Turmoil to Transformation: A Journey of Redemption

In his early years, Grant’s life was an adventure filled with travel, excitement, and endless opportunities. As the son of a diplomat, he crisscrossed the globe, calling countries like the United States, Israel, and South Africa home. His educational journey was just as diverse as his surroundings, taking him to schools on different continents. Later, he pursued a degree in economics, served in the South African military, and even played semi-professional rugby in the United Kingdom.

This lifestyle and opportunity eventually caught up with him, and Grant started using and abusing drugs, which, he says, pretty much ruined his life. Determined to put his problems behind him, he took advantage of his mother’s citizenship and moved to Canada, leaving South Africa for a new start in Toronto.

Since May 2022 Grant has been an integral part of the Gateway Linens and Disposal Services staff team washing and folding sheets and towels from Toronto shelters. The commercial laundry on Broadview Avenue in Toronto is an employment retraining program that supports individuals experiencing marginalization and barriers to employment.

“I’m happy here and it is a very healthy environment. I find the work that I do to be rewarding. There are people who are very deserving of the work we do, and it is rewarding for me to know that I am doing something that helps other people,” Grant says.

He says the best part of his day is a 5:30 am bus ride to downtown Toronto in time for his 7 am shift at Gateway Linens. At the end of the day, it is another hour and a half bus ride back to the Scarborough shelter.

“It’s a long way to get here and it’s a long way back. I made that trip five days a week and every morning, I wake up and I’m happy to get on the bus. Gateway has been absolutely wonderful to me. It’s truly been a godsend and a blessing.”

With a regular source of income from Gateway Linens, and a place to stay, Grant is committed to two things: to continue his connection to his church, where he sings in the choir and serves as an acolyte, and to work with The Salvation Army as an analyst or economist.

In March 2023, with Grant’s plan for the future in place, tragedy struck when his father passed away in South Africa. Money Grant had saved for a place to live instead went to a plane ticket to attend his father’s funeral.

“One of the last discussions I had with my father; I said that at Gateway Linens I’ve been given an opportunity to work. This has empowered me to be in a position where I will no longer have to be in the shelter system.”

Grant thanks Gateway Linens manager Stewart King for his support in helping to achieve his goals and the confidence to know that there is a hopeful future back from hardship. Gateway Linens and Disposal Services serves as a transforming influence in the lives of program participants, providing the opportunity to learn, to grow and to move toward self-reliance.

“Being here has made me feel unbroken and that was a huge thing for me. I feel that The Salvation Army has given a lot to me, and I would like to return that to them in kind,” Grant says.

To learn more about Gateway Linens and Disposal Services and its successful and life-affirming employment retraining program, visit www.gatewaylinens.com.