After pulling together donations and personal funds, Gladys Krasicki purchased a vacant motel in Atlantic County last March with hopes of transforming it into a shelter to house homeless veterans.
With the help of the community and volunteers from her nonprofit, Veterans 101, so far she has been able to permanently house about nine veterans at the former Crest Motel in Absecon.
And, once room renovations are completed in September, the facility will accommodate over a dozen more veterans in need, according to officials.
The motel, located on Absecon Boulevard off Route 30, will soon be officially renamed Veterans Village of Absecon and provide permanent housing for a total of 26 people.
“We want to make it so that it’s a community for them,” said Krasicki, of Elmer, who is a vet herself, having served in the Army for 16 years. “Once we place the veterans, they can remain there for as long as ever.”
Over the past year, Krasicki and her team of volunteers have been following the Veterans Affairs’ Housing First model.
Instead of waiting for the facility to be fully finished with renovations, the group has been housing veterans in rooms as they are completed and will soon implement more wraparound services to support occupants.
About half of the rooms have been completely gutted and transformed into efficiency units, each with a kitchenette, bathroom and bedroom area.
The organization is now asking for donations to raise $350,000 to start the next major phase of the project, which involves renovating the remaining rooms and installing a new roof on the building.
“We’re not financially funded by the government or anything else,” said Krasicki. “It’s just community giving back into this project.”
Earlier this month, the group organized a clean-up on the property, with six businesses from Salem and Cumberland counties donating their services to help remodel the motel and even remove a large oak tree from the lot.
There’s been an overwhelming response from people looking to secure a spot in the Village since word has spread that rooms are becoming available, the organization said.
According to a one-night “point-in-time tally” conducted last January, 10,267 people were experiencing homelessness in New Jersey in 2023. After victims of domestic violence and youth, veterans were identified as one of the most vulnerable populations, with 454 individuals experiencing homelessness on that day.
The rooms are being filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once a person’s veteran status is confirmed, he or she goes through the Department of Housing and Urban Development to verify the person’s income and other criteria to receive a housing voucher to stay at the housing facility, according to Krasicki.
The leases are valid for a year, but as long as the tenants renew their vouchers and are doing what they need to stay there, they will have a home at the Village, officials said.
Though the motel is located near grocery stores and other essential services, the majority of the veterans coming to the property don’t have transportation and are disabled, Krasicki said.
As renovations progress, Krasicki’s nonprofit plans to continue implementing services to support the residents, including a transport vehicle, case managers, financial management services and more.
The group has already been collaborating with local food banks to provide meals for the tenants. Additionally, there are plans to enhance the property by adding amenities such as a “victory garden” and a “serenity garden” to create a more community-oriented space.
“We want them to be able to say ‘I live at’ and not, ‘I stay at,’” Krasicki said. “We want it to be like their home.”
Krasicki joined the Army in 1979 right after graduating from Millville High School in Cumberland County. She served until 1992 and has been working to provide housing for homeless veterans for the last three decades.
Many have asked Krasicki how she and her team managed to nearly finish transforming a motel into a home for veterans in a year, but she said it’s not a secret — it’s about using the resources in front of her to get things done.
“I’m in it to give back to the veterans that are less fortunate than I’ve been,” Krasicki said. “I keep telling everyone, if everybody just gives a little no one’s got to give a lot.”
Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.
Nyah Marshall may be reached at Nmarshall@njadvancemedia.com.
