By Writer Laura D.C. Kolnoski -
A veterans community, including housing for homeless vets, was a primary goal for the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth after its closure by the U.S. Army. More than five years later, a 10-acre property off the fort in Tinton Falls has been announced as the location.

The new facility to be built near Seabrook Village, a large retirement community on Essex Road, will be the latest created by Soldier On, a Maryland-based nonprofit organization that works with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies to provide veterans with shelter and support. Soldier On’s other locations include a 165-bed shelter leased from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds, Maryland; a 71-bed transitional living facility in Pittsfield, Maryland; and the 39-unit Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community, also in Pittsfield.

Soldier On programs offer a continuum of care with a focus on building social skills, creating an enhanced sense of togetherness, and providing motivation, according to its website. Each resident veteran is assigned a case manager to assist in attaining necessary services and developing an individualized service plan that addresses needs and goals. Employment programs offer financial awareness classes, financial assistance for training and education, resume building, interview preparation, and job fairs. Transportation to and from appointments and services is provided. The ultimate goal is to provide formerly homeless veterans with permanent, supportive, sustainable housing – assisting them to transition from homelessness to homeownership.

Freeholder Lillian Burry, the county’s representative on the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) first learned of Soldier On from the late Edith Nowels, a veteran’s activist and sister of Horace “Bud” Thorne, a Medal of Honor winner killed during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. (Thorne Middle School in Middletown is named in his honor, located across the street from his family’s farm.)

Burry, who heads FMERA’s Veterans’ Affairs Sub-Committee, traveled to Maryland to view Soldier On and meet its president and CEO, Jack Downing, persuading him to visit Fort Monmouth to search for a suitable location. First slated to be located in Oceanport, the proposed veteran’s community turned to Eatontown, partially due to an invitation by former Mayor Gerald Tarantolo, a veteran who also visited Soldier On’s headquarters. The organization’s bid on an Eatontown fort parcel was rejected by FMERA last year for being too low.

“After looking at a number of places that weren’t quite right, Tinton Falls Mayor Gerry Turning, Council President Gary Baldwin and their municipal colleagues found the 10-acre site close to Seabrook Village,” Burry said. “It needed to have enough land and a welcoming setting while having access to resources for residents. This is the perfect setting for a first-class facility to provide the high-quality services our veterans need and deserve.”

“I’m so glad you brought Soldier On to us,” Turning said to Burry when the formal announcement was made at the Aug. 17 FMERA meeting. “Seabrook decided to turn over the property we need for Soldier On, which is in walking distance to stores, restaurants, and more.

Soldier On Event Co-Chairs Ellen Garfunkle and Kira Holl was happy with the location and how well it suited their needs. Gary Baldwin is a veteran so he knows how important this is. It’s the right thing to do.” Baldwin resides at Seabrook Village.

In 2012, with support from Congressman Chris Smith (R- NJ4), the federal Veteran’s Administration granted $1 million to Soldier On to work in Monmouth County and Central New Jersey. Burry enlisted Smith to bolster support at the federal level in her quest to make the veterans community a reality.

“Soldier On has led in the fight to help end veterans homelessness throughout the Northeast,” said Smith, who authored the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Law. “The veteran’s housing project to be built in Tinton Falls is the culmination of over five years of collaborative work under the tremendous leadership of Freeholder Burry and Soldier On’s Jack Downing to bring a proven and effective housing model to the county that will provide services for homeless veterans.”

“No organization does a better job than Soldier On in helping our veterans make successful transitions by aiding them with counseling, job training, and housing opportunities,” Burry said. “Jack Downing is a force of nature offering the dynamic leadership that made Soldier On what it is today.”

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