Dana Hanchett

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

I was staying at Veterans Haven in New Jersey, when I arrived in May 2024, I had nothing, no car or dollar to my name, not even a job. My focus was my rehabilitation, and I was dedicated to putting in the work. I used every resource; I found a job and used Project Moves who helped me with transportation to work. I also wanted a place of my own, and to my frustration most applications would not even accept me if I did not have a minimum score of 620. It was discouraging, I had a good job and no debt, I could not understand why this was such a challenge to find housing due to a credit score.

SUCCESS STORY
Meet: Dana Hanchett

Navy veteran Dana worked with the Soldier On financial counseling team to turn his life around.

My Soldier On Case Manger team advised me to work with their free Financial Counseling team.

I started my first session in August 2024. My financial coach Jacob Merritt advised me on our first call that I had FICO score of 3, a little discouraging however Jacob put me at ease as we created my action plan together.

How has it improved since working with Soldier On?

Following his direction on how to approach my situation we meet monthly. At first, I focused on paying off my collections and debt quickly. The next step, I obtained a secured credit card to help rebuild my credit with a few hundred dollars, every month utilizing it and paying if off to zero. Then to my surprise, I got an offer to get a credit card, within a few months my credit line also increased. I’ve also got promoted at work helping reach my financial goals, being able to purchase my own car with money saved. Over the months, my credit score gradually improved, today my credit score went from almost nothing to 675. In early January I started looking for a new apartment, and with credit score and history got accepted to my new apartment in February2025, I had accomplished so much in such a few months when I had absolutely nothing to begin with.

What would you like to accomplish in the future? What are your long-term goals?

I cannot thank the Soldier On staff who still have all been helpful and supportive, providing all these resources to get me where I am today. It wasn’t easy, I had to also put in the work every day and at times it took time, but I never got discouraged especially seeing progress each month. I am currently saving money with hopes to become a homeowner again, especially now having a credit score and where it needs to be.