Barbor Morse

What was your situation when you reached out to Soldier On?

For over 20 years I lived in Trenton, NJ. After spending a long portion of my life in this community, I was given my eviction notice from rental in March 2023.
I was left feeling defeated in life, with minimal support.

SUCCESS STORY

Meet: BARBOR MORSE

A veteran of the U.S. Army, Barbor worked with Soldier On case manager, Traci Herman, and the financial counseling team to improve her credit.

Since day one, I started working with my case manager Traci, who immediately helped me into Veteran Haven North (transitional housing) so was not on the street following my eviction. While I was in VHN, she encouraged me to work on my credit with their MMI financial counseling team at no cost. During my initial phone session I was told I had no credit score, discouraging at first, however the MMI team quickly provided me a plan to create one. Over the next few months, with MMI routinely checking in with me, I saw improvements to my credit score and started working on other goals, creating a savings plan along the way. Today I have credit score of 680!

How has your life improved since working with Soldier On?

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I want to avoid ever being at risk of homelessness. I recently got approved for a new subsidized rental in Hopewell, NJ, and moved in on January 3rd. Soldier On helped me during a difficult time, applying my HUD VASH benefits, I am now in a much better community, which I still can't believe! I would never be in this position (especially after being denied benefits months before) without Soldier On and the MMI financial counseling team, who have kept me on track to achieve my goals. My credit score helped create this new chapter in my life where I can live independently and with mv new cat "Yum"!

What are your long-term future goals?

Just know there are many programs/resources like Soldier On created to help veterans during challenging times we all face. Don't ever feel like you're alone or afraid to reach out to ask for help and truly accept it. It's never too late to start a new positive chapter in your life.

Do you have advice for other veterans in similar situations?