Experiencing Homelessness

As we’ve shared elsewhere, problems worth solving abound. And certainly one of them is the issue of homelessness in this country (and elsewhere).

Red Fern teamed up with BCT Partners and some amazing people to design and produce a series of VR immersions for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. These immersions were informed by the life experience of key informants – many of whom have become workers and advocates for those who are experiencing homelessness, and training those who wish to serve.

The focus here is on key moments that matter when someone who is quite vulnerable is seeking help – and how those interactions can go well. We employed first person and third-person perspectives, and benefitted from people with lived experience playing the key roles. We’d like to thank our partners at BCT, specifically Jie Dong and Annette Rodriguez, and the very talented Ann McCreedy. The team on site in D.C. were so welcoming and especially the folks running N Street Village. And our cast! John Harrison, Rashema Melton, Dana Woolfolk, Dee Balliet, David Dirks and Stacey Matthews.

Special thanks, too, to Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown, President of the National Coalition for the Homeless, and to Sue Watlov Phillips for their invaluable contributions and guidance.

Our hope is that this work will contribute to positive experiences that people have when in need, and improve the experience of those on the front lines of service.