Learning and Employment
Day programs and life supports focused on building community, independence, and personal growth through post-secondary learning, employment, and life skills.
ArtWorks
An artist development program for individuals with an expressed interest in visual arts and want to commit their time into a focused exploration. Participants engage in a supportive studio environment where they can refine their artistic skills, experiment with different mediums, and exhibit their work.
Employment Services
Successfully join the workforce with the support of vocational counselors providing tailored career support at every stage of employment. Our team empowers job seekers to build confidence, develop marketable skills, and secure sustainable employment.
LifeStreams
LifeStreams life supports are offered to all Garth Homer clients across programs. LifeStreams provides enhanced and highly individualized learning, building life skills that promote independence and inclusion.
Options
Options focuses on post-secondary learning and exploring personal interests. With a dynamic and inclusive environment that encourages participants to take charge of their future through hands-on experiences, community connections, and individualized learning pathway, Options promotes independence, self-awareness, and confidence.
Programs and Services
ArtWorks
An artist development program for individuals with an expressed interest in visual arts who want to commit their time into a focused exploration. Participants engage in a supportive studio environment where they can refine their artistic skills, experiment with different mediums, and exhibit their work.
Employment Services
Clients successfully join the workforce with the support of vocational counselors providing tailored career support at every stage of employment. Our team empowers job seekers to build confidence, develop marketable skills, and secure sustainable employment.
LifeStreams
LifeStreams life supports are offered to all Garth Homer clients across programs. LifeStreams provides enhanced and highly individualized learning, building life skills that promote independence and inclusion.
Options
Options focuses on post-secondary learning and exploring personal interests. With a dynamic and inclusive environment that encourages participants to take charge of their future through hands-on experiences, community connections, and individualized learning pathways, Options promotes independence, self-awareness, and confidence.
Day to Day
We build Individual Program Plans for each person, tailored to their unique needs and goals.
Each Learning and Employment program is designed to serve different purposes and operate on differing schedules: Options and ArtWorks are structured as day programs, while LifeStreams and Employment Services provide life support on an as-needed basis for participants.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the schedule for the Learning and Employment Programs?
Options and ArtWorks are day programs that run Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, but each persons schedule is flexible. Each participant chooses the days that fit their life, while still enjoying all the resources, activities, and guidance we offer.
LifeStreams and Employment Services are life supports that are available by appointment from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday, with workshops operating at set times.
Where is Learning and Employment located?
Learning and Employment programs are located throughout Victoria. Options, LifeStreams, and Employment Services have a home base at the Vancouver Island Technology Park and the ArtWorks Studio is located in downtown Victoria at 1950 Government Street.
Employment Services are often out in community helping individuals build the skills required for employment, and LifeStreams also operates in community and at SJ Willis School, supporting the Community Inclusion Programs.
How do I know what program is the right fit?
Our programs bring together peers with shared interests and needs instead of being divided by a set group of activities. Learning and Inclusion programs support people with lower support needs grow towards independence, inclusion, and employment.
Instead of fitting individuals into preset boxes, we build experiences around each person. Our flexible approach means each individual’s day, activities, and community are all designed to reflect who they are and what they want out of life. This means not everyone in a specific program are doing the same thing at the same time.
Each individual’s journey at Garth Homer begins with a conversation around what it is that they would like their life to look like. This conversation is how we determine which program is the right fit for each person.
Access Our Services
It all starts with Community Living BC (CLBC), the provincial crown agency. They work with individuals, families, service providers and other key members on an individual’s care team to determine funding eligibility and provide options. The Garth Homer Society is partially funded by Community Living BC, and almost all of our clients are referred to us through their services.
Determining Fit
Each individual’s journey at Garth Homer begins with a conversation around what it is that they would like their life to look like. This conversation is how we determine which program is the right fit for each person.
Our programs bring together peers with shared interests and needs, fostering real connection and belonging. Every plan is personalized, flexible, and built around the individual, ensuring each person is never just placed into a preset program, they help create it.
Programs don’t define people, people define the programs.
What’s Happening in Learning and Employment
Service Areas
We have four key program and service areas: community inclusion, services for people who are aging (geriatrics), employment services and residential services. There’s no one-size-fits-all at Garth Homer. Our program opportunities are tailored to the needs and interests of participants, to make sure there are rewarding experiences for people with a range of abilities and goals.