Destiney came to Operation HOPE through a referral from First Horizon Bank. She was a 21-year-old renter with dreams of becoming a homeowner. When she connected with her new financial wellbeing coach Leslie, they set a goal of improving her credit and creating a solid budget first so that they could make that dream become a reality. After connecting a few times to establish a timeline and set expectations, they took time to look at the patterns of excess spending. Realizing that she needed to change her habits to reach her goals, Destiney focused on changing her mindset so that she was squarely focused on her financial goals. Over time, she was able to eliminate more of the “wants” and start to focus on her “needs”.
Destiney started her journey toward the right direction by focusing on her debts and credit card balances first. In just a matter of months, she began to see improvements and ultimately saw a 93 point increase in her FICO score. She was consistently paying off debts and keeping her balances low on her credit cards. As a result of her hard work and diligence, she accomplished her first major financial milestones. She was able to buy the home and the car she without touching her savings and staying within her budget!
“I have found Operation HOPE and more specifically Leslie Danehy to be extremely beneficial to me in my home buying process. Leslie showed me how easy it is to budget and save. She walked me through different styles, projections, and how to buy a home when it came time. Budgeting and saving has never been easier! The apartment I was staying at would raise its rent every three months and I just could not keep up. I found out it was cheaper for me to buy a home! Leslie informed me about my credit and how to build it and keep it healthy! Now my credit is in the upper seven hundreds, and I have a healthy savings account. Tracking the waste in my finances is what sets everything in motion. I want to thank Leslie and Operation HOPE for their exemplary guidance and help. I would have never thought I was going to buy a house at 21 and here we are a year later and I’m so happy.“
Destiney C.
Maryville, TN