New Appliances Help Veteran, Single Mom Gain Stability
Hope Thompson enlisted in the Army in 2006 because she felt it was her duty as an American.
“I love my country, and we were in a time of war,” she said.
She deployed three times — in 2008 and 2011 to Iraq and in 2016 to Afghanistan. She earned the rank of staff sergeant, and said she loved leading her troops.
Hope planned on a career in the Army, but she experienced depression, anxiety, and PTSD after being sexually assaulted by another soldier.
She also had physical injuries from her deployments.
“My body just could not keep going,” she said.
Hope medically retired in 2020.
Retiring amidst the COVID-19 pandemic made her transition to civilian life even more difficult. She had no job after being medically retired and hiring was mostly frozen during the pandemic. She was pursuing a master’s degree, and that program was put on hold during the pandemic, which impacted her VA benefits that help pay for housing.
She moved to the small, rural town of Dothan, Alabama, with her daughter, Heaven, who is now 9, and was able to buy a house. She knew the area well because her parents live about an hour away in Albany, Georgia. Hope also has an adult son, Allen, who no longer lives at home.
“It was really awesome to know someone took the time out to donate and they cared.” – Hope Thompson, Army veteran
As a single, disabled veteran mom, Hope has struggled to save money. In 2023, she had difficulty finding a stable job that allowed flexibility to take care of her daughter and attend therapy appointments for her PTSD and depression. The family budget was further strained when she faced unexpected car repairs and home repairs.
Her home went into foreclosure, so she spent even more of her monthly income paying extra on her mortgage to resolve that issue. After having plumbing and mold issues in her house, she learned that roots were growing through the pipes. In what felt like one more financial blow, all her appliances stopped working.
Hope was unsure where to turn until she was told about Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance program. Thanks to Operation Homefront’s generous donors, she was able to purchase a new washer, dryer, and refrigerator. The appliances cost about $3,000.
“I cried the day my appliances came,” Hope said. “I have never experienced that generosity, for someone to just do something for you like that.”
Having the new appliances paid for meant she could continue to direct funds to her mortgage and get the house out of foreclosure. She continues to put money aside for the other repairs.
Hope remains positive about the future knowing people are there to support those who served their country. She wants to give back and is starting a nonprofit organization of her own that will focus on victims of military sexual violence.
“It was really awesome to know someone took the time out to donate and they cared,” Hope said. “I would like to say thank you to them because that means a lot. It’s hard out here sometimes when you have a disability and can’t do what you want to do. Things happen and you fall behind, and the fact they had my back makes me so grateful.”
Since 2011, Operation Homefront has provided more than $41 million through its Critical Financial Assistance program to help military families stay strong, stable, and secure.
