Three high school students—Viraj Sheel and Arnav Gopinath of Stephen F. Austin High School in Sugar Land, Texas, and Konrad Fisher of Michigan—have introduced a mobile application that reimagines a homelessness education board game for digital audiences. Titled Home Of My Own, the app is now available on the Apple App Store and represents a new form of youth-driven social engagement through accessible technology.
The original board game, developed by the nonprofit Fort Bend Family Promise, was designed to educate players about the often unseen pathways to homelessness. By simulating scenarios such as job loss, medical emergencies, and transportation failures, the game creates an immersive experience that highlights how quickly families can find themselves facing housing insecurity. The goal has always been to cultivate empathy while informing the public about real-world challenges.
Recognizing a gap in accessibility, the student developers sought to expand the game’s impact by adapting it for smartphones. Despite having no formal app development background, they collaborated to preserve the educational integrity of the board game while introducing features tailored to digital users. The app offers scenario-based gameplay rooted in realistic decisions and includes a built-in donation option linked directly to Fort Bend Family Promise.
Throughout the development process, the students received ongoing support from the nonprofit. Mentorship from Ms. Vera Johnson and her team played a pivotal role in the project’s progression, providing guidance and encouragement even as the students navigated technical hurdles. Their partnership underscores the value of cross-generational collaboration in social innovation.
The project has earned public recognition. Sheel, Gopinath, and Fisher were honored at the Fort Bend Family Promise Annual Fundraiser in Fall 2024 and featured in the Fall 2024 edition of Fort Bend ISD Magazine. These acknowledgments speak to the broader significance of their work: a digital product that educates while empowering action.
By converting a board game into an interactive mobile platform, the students have created a replicable model for socially driven digital engagement. Their initiative reflects a broader shift in youth participation, where students are not only consumers of technology but creators of purpose-driven tools. Home Of My Own serves as an example of how technology and education can converge to raise awareness on critical social issues through the vision and effort of committed young people.
For more details, the game demo is available here, the fundraiser event can be viewed here, and the FBISD Magazine article is accessible on page 12 here.
