Shanice Dansby turned to the military because she was ready for a new perspective on life.
“I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay area and although I loved it, I felt stuck and wanted a new perspective outside of California.”
Her dad was a retired chief in the Navy and encouraged her to enlist, which she did in December 2010. She deployed twice, once to the Middle East and another to Mediterranean.
Shanice originally thought the Navy would be her career but she medically retired in December 2019. She heard about Operation Homefront’s Transitional Housing (Villages) program from another veteran and decided to apply.
She was stationed in Hawaii at the time with her two children but wanted another a change and applied to the Gaithersburg, Maryland Village location. Shanice and her boys, Quinton, 6, and Emerson, 2, were accepted and moved into their Village apartment in May 2020. At the Village, Shanice received financial counseling and the support needed to transition to civilian life. She was able to graduate the program in about seven months. She is appreciative to the donors who make the program possible.
“If I looked back a year ago and hadn’t done this I would not be where I am today,” she said. “I wanted to give the space to another a veteran who needed it.”
Shanice graduated from the program in November and is now living in North Carolina where she plans in the fall to attend nursing school in Greensboro. She also liked that the area is “very veteran friendly.”
Operation Homefront’s transitional housing programs provide military families with the resources they need so they can start strong and stay strong when they make the transition back into civilian life.
Operation Homefront launched ‘Start Strong, Stay Strong,’ a national brand campaign in March 2021. The initiative brings much-needed attention to the dedicated service of our military families and the support that Americans can provide to build the stability, connections and comfort these families deserve to start strong in their communities and stay strong throughout their journeys. #StartStrongStayStrong. Find out more at operationhomefront.org/start-strong-stay-strong.
