To create opportunities for independence, growth and participation in the community with people who strive to overcome developmental and physical obstacles.
If you had walked into the Garth Homer Centre in 1977, the year it began, you would have found a group of people with physical disabilities working busily at crafts such as weaving, chair caning and making Christmas crackers. The crafts were then sold in a gift shop.Within a few years, as institutions for people with mental disabilities were closing, people with a much wider range of disabilities began to attend the centre. A visitor to the centre in 1987 would have seen people participating in many activities including art and music, crafts and a variety of contract work such as bead-sorting and envelope stuffing.
Today, unless you arrive at the Centre around 9 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon, it is a pretty quiet place. You may find clients enjoying a music program and individuals participating in various activities in the art rooms but most of the clients will be out in the community. Some are working at paid jobs. Many are out on volunteer assignments with a community organization. Others will be learning more about how to participate in their community through activities that they have identified through a planning process with staff and their families.
The story of the Garth Homer Centre is a story of change. It was created because of the vision of a number of Victoria people who believed that people with intellectual or physical disabilities needed opportunities to realize their potential and integrate into the community. Led by Garth Homer, a social worker who worked tirelessly in the interests of others, community members established the Centre by providing substantial private funding to supplement government grants.
Garth Homer clients range in age from 19 to over 70 with different goals, interests and levels of ability. A few are married, some live independently, some with their families and others in family care or group homes. Clients participate in a wide range of activities with emphasis placed on individual interests and goals. All programs promote independence and community inclusion.
The Garth Homer Society, which runs the Centre, is recognized as a leader in providing services for people with disabilities. The Society has come a long way in almost thirty years in the struggle to end the isolation and inequities faced by people with disabilities. There is still a long way to go, and many changes ahead, and the Garth Homer Centre will continue to grow and evolve to meet the challenges.