TOMS RIVER – For years, the Pelican Inn & Suites on Route 37 housed homeless people with no one dedicated to looking out for them. The nonprofit that bought it says that is exactly what is about to change. Some of the motel’s neighbors aren’t convinced.
HABcore, Inc. paid $7 million in June for far more than the 25-unit motel. The nonprofit owns everything from the tree line beside the Pelican to the building where there’s a grooming business at the other end of the lot. Pampered Pet Resort and Spa will stay on as a tenant and keep paying rent. The former Best Carpet & Flooring will eventually become offices.
“This is not going to be a shelter,” said Steve Heisman, president and CEO of HABcore. Dozens of people packed the former carpet store next to the motel, where rolls of carpet still lined the walls, during an open house of the property. “It has a license as a social service hotel, and that’s what it’s going to continue to be.”
Guests will be referred by county agencies and go through background checks and screening. Drugs and alcohol are banned. First stays last four weeks, with up to two extensions for guests making progress.
The motel will serve up to 25 households, and pets are welcome. Staff will be on site around the clock. HABcore has already installed a $50,000 security system with new cameras and electronic access.
In some ways, the Pelican may work like any other motel. County and state contracts and grants will cover many nightly costs. When asked if guests will be required to contribute towards their stays, Heisman said the most succinct way he could presently answer that question was “it depends.”
A Building With Past Issues
Heisman did not sugarcoat the motel’s past. “They were homeless without support and supervision, and they stayed here a long time,” he said of earlier guests.
Vincent Zenna, who lives across the street, remembers those years. “The place that ran the motel before was motivated by the money, and they didn’t care who was in the rooms,” he said.
Zenna, who ran a soup kitchen in Lakewood for 18 years, believes the people coming now will be different because they want help. “It’s going to be supervised, it’s going to be managed, it’s going to be controlled,” he said. Guests who break the rules will be shown the door, he added. “You want someone who wants to be here and who wants to change.”
That long history matters. Because the Pelican will keep operating as a licensed social service hotel, HABcore isn’t changing how the property is used. Heisman said that means no zoning approval and no permits for most of the work, like replacing lights, flooring and cameras.
Heisman was clear about what will need permits. HABcore already got one to turn the electric meters back on. Converting the carpet store into offices will require permits before work starts. HABcore also wants movable planter fencing to steer all foot traffic past the office. Because it could cut into parking, that plan will likely go before the zoning board.
Fears And Hope
At the September 23 Township Council meeting, a resident named Noreen said she supports housing for the homeless and veterans. Still, she questioned a site she said lacks public transportation, shopping and health care.
“I care about being a good neighbor,” Heisman said at that meeting. “I invite everybody to hold us accountable for that.”
At the open house, plenty of people pushed back. A woman who said she lives across the street called the arrangement a loophole and questioned how HABcore would pay for staff and upkeep. “You’re going to go on a wing and a prayer,” she said.
Heisman shot back. “I’ve never done anything on a wing and a prayer. I’ve been doing this for 27 years.”
She also described years of trash and needles in the area. “My heart completely goes out to this,” she said. “However, this is not the place.” A business owner across the street put it more bluntly. “We don’t want this here,” he said.
One woman filmed the entire evening on her phone. Asked for her name afterward, she refused and stormed out.
Heisman pointed to HABcore’s record at the Monmouth County Adult Homeless Shelter in Oceanport. In its first year, police were called three times for problems unrelated to a health condition, and residents made two of those calls. “I take responsibility in that I run the agency,” he said.
Supporters spoke up too. A man named Scott, who has lived a couple of blocks away for 17 years, thanked Heisman for coming. “This, to me, seems like a step up for the community,” he said. “The homeless are here, regardless. It’s better to have a place for them than not.”
Zenna also had an answer for worries about Route 37 traffic. He said a footpath leads to the nearby Quick Chek and a bus stops by the motel every day. “At least we have someone here who cares about the people,” he said.
Partners And The Future
HABcore said it expects to partner with Fulfill and JBJ Soul Kitchen to provide prepared meals, and local veterinarians will help with pets. Site manager Kelly Broderick previously ran the Monmouth County shelter. So far in 2026, it has served 110 guests, and 74 percent found permanent or temporary housing. Manager Mitch Andryszewski said 28 percent of this year’s guests are 62 or older, and about half are 55 or older.
“Somebody needs to make about $45 an hour to afford an apartment in Monmouth and Ocean County,” Heisman said. The 2025 Point-in-Time Count found at least 577 Ocean County residents experiencing homelessness.
HABcore’s Windsor Avenue property, run with Family Promise of the Jersey Shore, is the county’s only licensed family shelter. The nonprofit also works with 180 Turning Lives Around to provide housing for survivors of domestic violence
Heisman said the Pelican is meant to be a stop along the way, not a permanent address. The ultimate goal is moving every guest into permanent housing. Supportive housing coordinators will build a plan with each person to remove whatever stands in the way, from lost IDs to a lack of income. Staff will “help them find housing, help them find income,” he said.
Renovations continue, and windows are still being replaced. HABcore hopes to start moving people in as soon as the repairs are complete.
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