At Homewood supportive housing in Campbell River, volunteers recently broke ground—quite literally—on a new community garden that promises to nurture both plants and the people tending them. The garden, built through FortisBC's Community Giving Day initiative, emerged from an unlikely partnership: an energy provider, a city government, and a nonprofit housing organization all rowing in the same direction.
It's easy to miss why this matters. Supportive housing residents often face isolation and limited access to meaningful activities. Community gardens change that equation. They create daily reasons to step outside, connect with neighbors, and grow something with your own hands—small acts of agency that can shift how someone experiences their home and their place in the world.
The project brought together an unusually broad coalition. FortisBC employees worked alongside City of Campbell River staff, members of the Lookout Housing and Health Society, and Homewood residents themselves. Together, they installed a greenhouse, built raised garden beds, prepared soil, and planted the first crops. It's the kind of physical, hands-on collaboration that builds something stronger than any single organization could achieve alone.
Carmen LeBlanc, manager of community and Indigenous relations with FortisBC, framed it well: "This project in Campbell River is a great example of what's possible when we work alongside local organizations to create spaces that support well-being, connection and a sense of belonging." That language—well-being, connection, belonging—gets at what community gardens actually do. They're not just about vegetables. They're about dignity and participation.
Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl echoed that vision, noting that the garden adds another layer to what Homewood already offers. "The Homewood supportive housing initiative is an important part of the city's ongoing work with community partners to provide safe, supportive spaces for residents," Dahl said. "Additions like this new garden create opportunities for connection, wellness and a sense of belonging, helping to strengthen the community today and into the future."
What's striking here is the generosity of focus. Rather than declare victory once the housing was secure, the city, FortisBC, and the Lookout Society asked what else could make life better. A greenhouse and raised beds are modest infrastructure. The impact—residents stepping outside daily, meeting neighbors, watching something grow that they planted themselves—is not.
As communities everywhere grapple with housing insecurity and social isolation, Campbell River is demonstrating that supportive housing works best when it's more than just a roof. It's when residents are invited to help build something, to nurture something, and to belong to something bigger than their individual struggle. The Homewood garden, sprouting now in British Columbia, is that vision taking root.