Dee is a disabled war veteran who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She came to Operation HOPE in April 2024 through a referral from the Savannah VA Clinic. At this time, she was living paycheck to paycheck with no emergency savings and no credit score. Due to a lack of education around proper use of credit cards, and having been burned by them in the past, she was very nervous to use credit cards to start establishing credit.

Operation HOPE Financial Wellbeing Coach Jessica Hamel was able to help alleviate Dee’s concerns while helping her build her financial knowledge. They dedicated a lot of time working on Dee’s budget to increase her savings, which has grown to $5,000.

Additionally, Jessica guided Dee through the steps and education around how to properly use credit cards and what makes up a credit score. She now has a credit card and an installment loan, and her credit has gone from “not scored/0” to 594. She is ganing great momemtum with her progress, consistently taking the advised steps to improve her credit and increase her savings.

Dee now calls Jessica her “financial drill instructor.” Recently, she shared, “In order to be received, you have to be receptive. Operation HOPE received me as I was. Since then, I have grown my financial knowledge and made life progress. I have moved, saved, and increased my credit score. As a war veteran, it has been a long road to reach the consistency I now have with my finances.” 

Dee replaced a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle with one that includes plans to buy her first home, and Jessica is thrilled to walk alongside her on this journey to financial freedom.

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