Cape Hope Moving a House for a Family in Need

By Collin Hall

October 6, 2025

ERMA – In a county where affordable housing is vanishing, Cape Hope is trying something new: It’s moving a house slated for demolition so a family in need can live there instead.

Jerry Hall, a real estate agent and board member for Cape Hope, an advocacy group for the homeless, has been a driving force behind the project. “We’ve been down so many rabbit holes with affordable housing,” he told the Herald. “Developers won’t touch Cape May County because the profit margins are too small. But we’re determined to find ways to make housing happen.”

There are a few steps left before the house can be relocated and occupied, but a lot of the upfront requirements have already been completed. First, and most importantly, Cape Hope now owns two residential lots in Erma thanks to an anonymous donor. The donor told the Herald that they subdivided their personal home property for this express purpose and appeared before Lower Township’s Zoning Board to ensure the new lots are zoned for housing.

Bill Galestock, planning director for Lower Township, said, “The Zoning Board found that her project conforms with the size of the neighborhood, and it didn’t create any problems. We were supportive of the project.”

Second, Cape Hope worked with SJ Hauck Construction to identify houses in South Jersey soon slated for demolition. Not just any house will work. Some houses, in wealthy Shore towns like Avlaon, are just too big for a reasonable family dwelling. Others are too small. The anonymous donor said that the ideal house is a four-bedroom home with two bathrooms.

Lisa Faust, a sales coordinator at SJ Hauck, said that her company relocates between 20 and 25 homes per year.

“We save millions of pounds of debris from going to the landfills, which is a statistic we’re very proud of,” Faust said. “I believe it gives opportunities to people who otherwise may not be able to own or buy a home. If they have a piece of property, they can move and finish a home for one-third of the cost of buying or building a home these days.”

But there’s one big challenge: Moving a house isn’t free. Between the cost of transportation, foundation work and utilities, the project totals around $150,000. Much of that has already been pledged through community support and volunteer efforts, including donated land and labor. Part of that labor includes a brand new foundation pledged by a local developer who wished to remain anonymous. But Cape Hope still needs to raise $77,000 to complete the move and get a family housed.

A “Home Sweet Home” fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 16, at MudHen Brewing Co. is expected to raise that final $77,000 to bring the project over the finish line. That evening 30% of all tabs between 5 and 9 p.m. will be donated toward the project. Guests are invited to eat, drink and learn more about how they can volunteer or contribute to the effort.

Cape Hope sees this as a model they can replicate in the future. A family selected and vetted by Family Promise of Cape May County will live in housing owned by Cape Hope when they have nowhere else to go. The rent, which Cape Hope board member Barbara Allison said will be an affordable sum, will be used toward future housing projects.

There are very few apartment complexes in Cape May County. Hall, with Cape Hope, said that developers he has worked with in the past say over and over, “There’s not enough profit there, it’s in condos, town houses and single-family homes. That’s where the profit is.”

To learn more about the project and fundraiser, visit mudhenbrew.com/all-events/cape-hope-fundraiser.