Laureen, U.S. Army Veteran & Steve, U.S. Marine Veteran
Laureen and Steve reached out to Home Front Military Network because they needed help with their utility bill. They are both veterans, Laureen served in the United States Army and Steve served in the United States Marine Corps.
Steve was drafted in November of 1971 and was in force recon in Vietnam. He was discharged in 1975 and is a combat veteran. Steve mentioned he is a very prideful man “and to reach out for help is real hard”. He retired from the workforce early due to physical conditions and is on a fixed income, receiving social security with no other benefits.
His wife, Laureen is currently job searching. With her Bachelors in social work and started her Masters, she is hoping to continue to network with people she knows in the community to find something to help with the budget. “We were struggling. We had extra family members, we had people who were renting from us who have had trouble paying us and we needed help with our utility bill. Being a veteran and my husband being a veteran, we wanted to come here and see if you guys can help us.” Laureen found out about HFMN through calling 2-1-1.
“I have something that has lifted off my shoulders and I see a light at the end of the tunnel to where I can visualize that things are going to be okay”, said Steve. When asked what he would say to another veteran who may be struggling he mentioned “If they are anything like me they probably wouldn’t ask for help, but if they do then I would have to recommend your organization.”
Laureen expressed that no one should be afraid to ask for help, “I am grateful and blessed that we live in a place here where there are so many different organizations and that you can reach out. A lot of times it’s not just one time that you have to reach out, it’s a couple different times that you have to, to get a sense of stability.”
Steve said he knows that HFMN is a network and so if someone reached out for help, HFMN can find something out there for them; “Reach out and ask for the help. It’s the only way it’s going to work. There is light at the end of the tunnel if you ask for help.”
