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When I met Glynn, he was stepping out of the 41º weather in the middle of Toronto’s July heat wave. He was carrying a helmet and had just biked almost 40 km from Brampton to find some furniture for himself and his 2 teenage boys. He was smiling and positive and carried himself with confidence and strength. We couldn’t wait to help him.
Glynn had hit a bump in the road of life, after years of driving a transport truck back and forth to Texas, he had to step away from his job to be more available to his sons as a single father. The value and commitment that he had to his boys and in his role of father easily illuminated his face as he spoke of re-establishing himself and creating a solid, stable environment for them. He was proud of his family and was not afraid to ask for help to make sure that they were properly housed and he spoke of his challenges with optimism and humility.
Glynn’s family had been staying in the home of a friend who had recently wed and then sold the house in a matter of days, too short a time frame for Glynn to be able to secure a new place. After transitioning from one brief stay with family and friends to another, Glynn found himself with no where left to take his family other than the Peel Family Shelter. They welcomed his family and worked with Glynn and both of his teenage boys to ensure that there were ample resources to rely upon as they worked their way through a difficult transition.
His furnishings had moved so quickly out of the original home that they were still outside when the torrential spring storms struck the city and everything was ruined. After finding a place in Brampton, close to his boys’ school, Glynn came to Furniture Bank to embark upon a fresh start . With a new dining table, living room tables and a bright, beautiful sofa bed donated just that day by the Skydome Renaissance Hotel, and beds for his boys, Glynn felt ready to take on his next challenge. He is now beginning to retrain to work with heavy equipment and can’t wait to find a job that keeps him much closer to home.
