HomeEquity Bank and Homes for Heroes Build a Metaverse Village to Provide Real Veterans Housing

Jul. 18, 2022

HomeEquity Bank (HEB), the provider of the CHIP Reverse Mortgage, is partnering with Homes For Heroes, a charitable organization that builds villages for veterans experiencing homelessness.

HomeEquity Bank has taken the plans for Homes For Heroes' future build in Kingston, Ontario, and built a virtual version of the village within the Decentraland Metaverse platform (built, governed, and owned by its users). Visitors can explore the virtual Homes for Heroes village, and help "make it real" by donating funds that will be matched by HomeEquity Bank. This is a first for the Metaverse.

Without downloading any software, visitors can go to MakeThisVillageReal.com, be assigned a randomly generated avatar, tour the village and donate. Those who donate will receive a wearable NFT for use in Decentraland.

The campaign, launching this week, aims to raise awareness of veteran homelessness in Canada, and to collect donations for the building of real-world veteran housing communities. A long form video explaining the campaign will be promoted on YouTube. The campaign will run in the Decentraland Metaverse through August 12^th.

Zulu Alpha Kilo led the strategy and creative development, Weber Shandwick led PR, Metaverse Architects led the Decentraland build and iQuanti was behind the media buying.

Vivianne Gauci, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Customer Experience for HomeEquity Bank said:

"It is important to engage with Canadians of all ages on the issue of veteran homelessness, which is why the Metaverse is such an effective platform for us. We have seen the Metaverse emerge and grow as an influential cultural trend, and by creating a Homes for Heroes village in Decentraland, we can use this new technology to raise awareness and support for veterans through this unique campaign – not just on Remembrance Day, but year-round."

 

David Howard, Co-Founder and CEO of Homes for Heroes said:

"Veteran homelessness in Canada is a growing issue that demands our attention, with far too many veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces struggling to comfortably return to civilian life. The Metaverse represents a bold new way to spread awareness online to Canadians of all ages. This unique partnership with HomeEquity Bank will help us pursue our mission of providing vital housing and support for our veterans and empower them to live independently."

 

Brian Murray, Executive Creative Director Zulu Alpha Kilo said:

"I think we have passed the moment in culture when doing anything in the Metaverse is inherently buzzworthy. We knew that we had to use the platform in an innovative way to capture people’s attention. And we knew our story had to be about people, not technology. Not enough people have had the chance to see the great work that Homes for Heroes is doing. The Metaverse gives access to anyone in the world with an internet connection. It’s a powerful use of the platform."