A Gateway for the Homeless in Toronto

When you donate to Salvation Army thrift stores, you are helping fuel the dreams of those most vulnerable in your community. Proceeds received through Thrift Stores help assist local Salvation Army efforts like The Gateway in Toronto, a shelter that provides a guiding light to men and women in need.

Housing 120 beds for men, the facility serves over 350 meals a day while offering outreach programs in their community to help transform the lives of homeless men and women. “We’re there for people who need a safe place of refuge, for anyone experiencing homelessness this is critical,” says Jake Aikenhead, Director at The Gateway.

Outside of their own shelter and case management, The Gateway team works alongside the City of Toronto to support individuals who are not comfortable accessing the shelter, working with them on a housing plan. They also operate an employment retraining program called Gateway Linens and Disposal services hiring persons with barriers to employment, helping them to regain valued job experience.

Through The Salvation Army Thrift Store National Recycling Operation (NRO), clients from The Gateway are provided with vouchers to clothing and household items. For the last ten years, NRO has also provided space in the Distribution and Recycling Centre in Oakville for The Gateway’s team to pack and store housing kits that are distributed to individuals leaving the shelter and moving into permanent housing.

“With the scale of the project this is something we just wouldn’t be able to do on our own, and it’s an incredible support to the people that receive the kits as they’re full of all the items you need when first moving into an apartment,” Aikenhead said.

For more information or to learn more about The Gateway and how they are helping marginalized individuals in the community, click here.