Toms river walk for homeless shelter draws 200 — Photo by Art Gallagher, Toms River Township.

TOMS RIVER, NJ – Joined by Ocean County Commissioner Virginia Haines wearing a fur hooded jacket, former Toms River Democrat Councilman Terrance Turnbach managed to rally about 200 people to walk with him as he called for the construction of a homeless shelter in Toms River.

It’s one of the reasons Turnbach lost his bid for re-election in 2021, but now that he’s running for the office of Chairman of the Democrat Party in Ocean County, the homeless shelter cause is one that will help him rally numbers against the incumbent chairman Wyatt Earp.

GOP Commissioner Haines has been in full support of Turnbach’s goal to build a massive homeless shelter in Toms River. Initially, Turnbach said he’d build the shelter in his own backyard, but since making that statement, Haines and the board of commissioners have looked at several spots including one in Jackson and two in the North Dover section of town.

In their latest behind-the-scenes dialogues, a tract of land owned by the county at the intersection of North Bay Avenue and Church Road, adjacent to Ocean County College could be the spot where the shelter will be built.

The Board of Commissioners, minus Haines and Gary Quinn have opposed a county run-facility, they had signaled they are open to a private facility built on county lands.

A bulk of the 200 participants were members of the Toms River South marching band, Democrat party organizers and public employees and officials.

Haines, Quinn and Commissioner Bobbi Jo Crea said they will meet with Turnbach in the next few weeks to begin talks on a homeless shelter now being touted as “transitional housing”.

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