When faced with a move to a residential facility, Connecticut’s 164,000 veterans and their families often feel overwhelmed and face the challenge of visualizing the environment they’ll call their new home — especially when they’re living in another state, or even another country. To bridge the distance, the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) partnered with the Department of Administrative Services Bureau of Information Technology Solutions (DAS/BITS) to create virtual tours of residential facilities for veterans, making it easier for potential residents to explore the campus remotely and envision themselves in their new living space no matter how far away they are.
The virtual tours initiative stemmed from a virtual museum tour project led by the Connecticut State Library. DVA Commissioner Ron Welch saw the opportunity to repurpose this technology to meet the needs of veterans exploring residential options. DVA collaborated with BITS to adapt the virtual tour concept, ensuring it would be accessible through the Veterans Affairs website and YouTube.
The residential campus, located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, provides essential services to veterans, including access to a 125-bed skilled nursing facility offering medical care, rehabilitation and transitional housing. However, many veterans and their families struggled to commit to a move without experiencing the campus firsthand.
To bring the campus experience to life, the team developed immersive 360-degree virtual tours using Kuula, a platform designed for creating and sharing interactive panoramic experiences. The tool allowed for a user-friendly, mobile-accessible walkthrough of the campus and housing units. A standout feature of the project is the “Meet Frank” segment, where a resident veteran shares his experience living on campus, offering an authentic perspective and building trust in the services provided. “Living here at Rocky Hill is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I’ve been here almost five years now, and in that time, I’ve quit drinking, quit smoking, and stayed on that even course. This place helped me get straightened out,” proudly shared Frank, resident veteran.
The project was a collaborative effort between BITS, including Agency Success, the Project Management Office, and the Connecticut State Library. Customer Success Manager Beth Lehn oversaw the initiative, ensuring smooth coordination between agencies. Jackie Bagwell, BITS Technology Analyst in service to the Connecticut State Library, applied her expertise from the original virtual tour project, while Martha Ramirez, Technical Project Manager, managed the development and deployment of the tours. Commissioner Welch championed the initiative and secured executive buy-in. From kickoff to launch, the project was completed in just three months, demonstrating a swift and effective cross-agency collaboration.
Since the launch of the virtual tour, veterans and their families report feeling more confident and prepared to make decisions about their future housing. For the DVA, the tours have become a valuable outreach and marketing tool, helping to attract new residents and support ongoing efforts to expand services.
