A man who once had no job and nowhere to sleep is now giving back to the shelter that helped change his life, spreading hope during the holidays for others facing homelessness.

Gregory Ellis knows firsthand how hard life on the streets can be. From 2001 to 2013, he did not have a place to call home. That changed when he found help at Clifton Sanctuary Ministries, a shelter in Atlanta that serves men over the age of 35.

"In 2008 I ended up at Clifton Sanctuary Ministries here, and this is one of the best ministries, best shelters in Atlanta," Ellis said.

Clifton Sanctuary Ministries provides emergency and transitional housing, along with help finding jobs, benefits, and permanent housing. The shelter also offers a clothing closet and other resources aimed at helping men get back on their feet.

"Support for getting benefits, getting employment, getting housing — we have a fully stocked clothing closet," said Kristi Panter, the shelter's executive director.

Ellis credits the ministry with helping him turn his life around. After leaving the streets, he reached a milestone he once thought was out of reach.

"I got out of homelessness and then in 2015 I bought me a house," Ellis said.

Now a homeowner living in Riverdale, Ellis drives several times a week to the East Lake shelter to volunteer. Since 2016, he has been serving meals and offering encouragement to men who are where he once was.

"I try to let them know that I went through what they went through and God can do what he did for me for them," Ellis said.

Panter says Ellis' presence makes a powerful difference.

"Being an example in their presence of somebody who's been in their shoes, has slept in the same room, come through the same program, and now has this level of stability we all strive to achieve," she said.

For the men still searching for a way forward, Ellis is more than a volunteer, he is living proof that change is possible and that hope can grow even after the hardest seasons.