Lived Experience: Truth, Challenges, and Moving Beyond Tokenism

Homelessness Unfiltered by Invisible People

Lived Experience programs are all the rage in the homelessness sector, but are they really making a difference, or just ticking boxes? In this episode, we sit down with Iain De Jong to have the most honest, unfiltered conversation about the good, the bad, and the ugly of lived experience. We dive deep into the truth behind the tokenism that often plagues these programs, the real challenges of involving people with lived and living experience, and what it takes to truly move beyond superficial efforts.

This isn’t just another feel-good chat—this is about fixing what’s broken. We explore best practices for creating programs that actually empower people instead of exploiting their stories. If you’re ready for a conversation that goes beyond tokenism and into real, actionable solutions, stick with us till the end. This is the raw, authentic dialogue that the homelessness sector needs.

Executive producer: Mark Horvath Producer/editor/cinematographer: Alex Gasaway Associate producer: Erin McGinnis Created by: Alex Gasaway and Erin McGinnis

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Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news, and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change, and thoughtful dialogue around poverty and homelessness.