A Toms River motel was recently acquired for $7 million. It’s already housing people experiencing homelessness in the midst of a historic heat wave.
Over Independence Day weekend, HABcore Inc. quietly opened several completed rooms at the former Pelican Inn and Suites to serve as a Code Red overflow shelter. The first 11 guests included a family, a woman who is a double amputee along with her dog, two brothers who had been living in a vehicle with their dogs, and a woman who had been staying in a homeless encampment, according to Jersey Shore Online.
The motel’s transformation became official on June 17, when HABcore purchased the 25-unit property on Route 37 for $7 million, according to NJ.com. The purchase caps a process that began in 2024, when Ocean County awarded HABcore a $7.5 million contract to acquire motel properties and convert them into emergency housing paired with supportive services.
Once complete, the facility will offer emergency housing—not transitional housing, HABcore President and CEO Steve Heisman was careful to clarify. Most residents are expected to stay 30 to 90 days while working with staff to address the barriers that led to their homelessness, compared to the 18 months to two years typical of transitional housing programs. “It’ll be focused on removing the barriers to housing, helping them find affordable housing which suits their needs, linking them to services, improved employment,” Heisman said.
One key feature: residents will be allowed to keep their pets, avoiding a difficult choice many individuals facing homelessness have to make when looking for emergency housing.
Renovations are ongoing—mold removal, fumigation, new flooring, windows, and security systems—with the goal of making the property nearly unrecognizable from its former state. The project builds on HABcore’s existing work in the county, including the former Harbor House in Toms River and HABcore Haven, a transitional housing program for domestic violence survivors.
The need is significant. At least 577 Ocean County residents were identified as experiencing homelessness in the 2025 Point-in-Time Count, though advocates believe the real number is considerably higher.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.