COLUMBIA, Md. — He joined the Navy to serve his country, putting his pursuit of a college degree and his family on hold, when the global pandemic began taking its toll on Austin Gilley and his wife, Sharon.
“I was out at sea and when I had made a phone call, she was telling me, ‘Things are just flying off the shelves, and it’s barren,’” said Austin.
Soon, they would learn Austin’s service would carry additional sacrifices.
“I ended up in the hospital when I was pregnant with Henry and no one could come see me in the ICU,” added Sharon.
A second child pushed the Gilley family to the brink just as Austin finished his hitch and tried to re-enter the work world.
Enter Operation Homefront—-a national nonprofit devoted to preventing homelessness amongst veterans and military families as they transition back into lives as civilians.
“We want military families who serve our nation to thrive, not struggle to get by in the communities, our communities, that they have worked so hard to protect,” said Margi Kirst, the chief revenue officer for Operation Homefront.
The organization’s pilot program is adding room for five families at the Vista Wild Lake Apartment Complex in Columbia.
Through the program, military families get the use of an apartment rent-free for a year in addition to having all of their utilities covered.
That’s worth an estimated $50,000.
Money, which can help families like the Gilleys rebuild their future if they’re one of the dozen selected in Maryland for the program, which has drawn applications from 400 others.
“It’s a needle in a haystack opportunity, you know, because I felt like I was up here,” said Austin, motioning above his head, “I had a lot of fear and worry and we were in debt. It was hard to, you know, support my family.”