Our Buildings

The Garth Homer Centre

The Garth Homer Centre

The heart of GHS is the Garth Homer Centre, easily reached and accesible in the middle of Greater Victoria. The 35,000 square foot, two-level centre is the community hub where our clients gather each morning and throughout the day. It contains an auditorium, art studio, quiet rooms, multiple kitchen spaces, and even an outdoor herb garden.

When is a building not just a building?

The advantage of being in a larger facility like the Garth Homer Centre is the flexibility we have in using our space creatively for person-centered planning and to meet individual client needs.

Having different spaces for different client needs makes sense.

It gives us the increased flexibility and more scope for individualized programming. Ultimately, we are working towards a service model in which our programs will work more like homerooms in a high school. They will be the accustomed place to arrive each day– the place where clients hang their coats, keep their lunches, meet their friends, and check their daily schedules. However, their daily activities could be anywhere in the facility or in the community, based on their needs, abilities, desires, and individual plans.

Programs in a large centre are not for everyone, of course. But for those for whom they work, they work very well. As we progress with our strategy to serve a more diverse group of clients with higher needs we have come to see the Garth Homer Centre for what it really is – not just a big building, but a flexible space of possibilities that gives clients the maximum support for individual growth and personal development.

We’d be happy to have you come for a tour and see for yourself.

Room rentals
The Garth Homer Centre’s convenient location appeals to community groups. The auditorium, meeting and boardrooms are available for evening rentals. Please contact us for more information.

Employment and Learning Services
Every year, the Garth Homer Society continues to grow in participants and programs. In 2016, we opened the Employment and Learning Services building to create a hub for all of our programs with similar goals. Now, the centre is a collaborative and educational space for all of our participants in Employment Services, LifeStreams Learning, and the OPTIONS Independent Learning team.

The heart of the centre revolves around the activity board. The board fills up each week with activities that all participants, no matter the program, are welcome to join for. The goal is to create meaningful and cross-program relationships with staff and participants, and encourage our clients to discover new activities and meet new people. This interchange between the programs helps our participants develop the life skills they want and need for a successful future as they explore their options for increased independence and employment.

To find out more about the programs offered through Employment and Learning Services , please visit our Programs page.