Transitional Home Gives Army Veteran Hope in His Hometown
After living all over the world and spending far too much time apart from his children, Army veteran Kenneth Coates was ready to settle down. Operation Homefront’s Transitional Homes for Veterans (THV) program and the generosity of Wells Fargo gave him that chance.
The newly retired staff sergeant couldn’t believe his eyes when his wife, Danielle, not only discovered the Operation Homefront program but found that a home was available in their hometown of Pensacola, Florida.
They moved in March 1 and are ready for their three children—Jaxson, 12, Elijah, 10, and Lillian 7—to be able to set down roots and get to know their grandparents and their cousins.
“I’ll be here without any field exercises, deployments, or training, so I can actually get to know them and take care of them,” Kenneth said. “It’s very stressful, but I know in the end it’s going to be worth it. Getting the house, with the housing market and the economy the way it is, it’s just amazing.”
Kenneth lives with PTSD, which he says he had for years before he ever realized it, through combat experiences in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2012. He served as a combat engineer, finding improvised explosive devices and breaching doors.
He is challenging his VA rating of 90 percent and hopes an appeal will get it to 100. He plans to attend Pensacola State College and eventually the University of Florida for a degree in horticulture because of his love for plants.
Kenneth originally joined the military 12 years ago to support his family after his first child was born while he was stuck in a series of dead-end jobs. Now he looks forward to time in the Pensacola home rent-free as he and family endeavor to buy a home of their own in the community.
“We don’t get paid much in the Army, so it’s going to help with savings and getting our debt down and boosting our credit score,” he said.
He and Danielle look forward to the financial counseling that comes along with the transitional home after years of Army life.
“Wells Fargo and Operation Homefront are giving us a financial kickstart for the rest of our lives,” he said. “To come from a structured life to now having to take care of everything, this gives us two to three years to figure everything out, get everything set in place. That way we can buy a home and we have that structure to help us out.”