Shalom House

Pros

• The grounds and interiors are kept impeccably clean and visually appealing.
• The office staff is caring and on the ball.
• Security features, including cameras and working smoke detectors, are in place.
• The complex is highly recommended for seniors due to its beauty, safety, and quality.
• Management is helpful and friendly, and the property is clean, modern, safe, and beautiful.
• Security personnel are first class and care for all residents, with no discrimination reported.
• Shalom House is upgrading its management and is gradually approaching a four-star level with hopes of five stars.

Cons

• Management does not know how to communicate or resolve problems efficiently.
• The roach infestation on the 3rd floor is due to hoarders or very unkempt residents, and management failed to inform residents promptly.
• The roach problem remained unresolved for months despite extermination efforts.
• Residents were forced to relocate and live out of bags for weeks because management cannot fix the problem.
• Management reportedly looks down on subsidized housing residents and offers little accommodation or support.
• Security officer Jerry is described as rude and racist, with alleged discrimination against Spanish or Black residents.
• A board member refused to accept a resident's letter and acted rudely and unprofessionally.
• The manager allegedly did not respond to written complaints for weeks, leaving residents without recourse.

Review

Shalom House is portrayed here as a senior living community that many residents initially feel is clean, safe, and well run. The grounds and indoor spaces are described as impeccably kept, with a calm, eye-pleasing aesthetic that makes life feel comfortable and serene. Residents note a structured environment with plenty of rules meant to keep everyone safe, and they credit the presence of security personnel and cameras, as well as functioning safety features like smoke detectors. In this view, the complex feels like a personal retreat - a "Shangri-La" you can tailor to your own tastes, while still being part of a well-regulated community. The office staff is described as caring and competent, and the overall impression is one of reliability and reassurance: a place where seniors can feel protected and well cared for.

Another perspective echoes these positives with even stronger praise. Management is described as helpful and friendly, and the property itself is repeatedly called clean, modern, safe, and beautiful. The sentiment here is that Shalom House stands out as perhaps the best place the reviewer has ever lived, a high-water mark for senior housing. The consistency of cleanliness, safety, and modern amenities reinforces a sense that this is a well-managed community that prioritizes residents' comfort and dignity. The repeated use of exclamation and affirmative language underscores genuine satisfaction and pride in the living environment.

However, a significant update shifts the tone from praise to pointed critique. The reviewer asserts that management has real problems communicating and resolving issues efficiently. The core of the criticism centers on a pervasive problem: a number of residents who hoard or maintain unkempt living spaces, and the alleged failure of management to remind or intervene in a timely manner. This lack of proactive management is linked to a severe roach infestation beginning on the third floor in January 2024, with the problem allegedly spreading to multiple units. The account paints a cascading series of consequences: residents weren't informed promptly about the outbreak, contamination spread into several apartments, and the solutions proposed by management were seen as inadequate or misdirected. The logistics of dealing with the infestation - emptying drawers, bagging belongings, storing items in the shower during weekly exterminations, and even temporarily vacating with a pet for hours at a time - are described as disruptive and stressful, ongoing for months without a satisfactory resolution.

The breadth of concerns widens beyond insects to questions of accountability and fairness. The reviewer contends that the roach problem is symptomatic of broader systemic issues: hoarders and unkempt residents contribute to fire hazards and access problems, and management is portrayed as slow to address underlying causes. There is a blunt implication that subsidized housing stigma influences how urgent the management's responses feel to those affected. The reviewer recounts attempts to escalate the matter through legal avenues and direct communication, including sharing advice from two legal entities, but notes that there was little to no written response from management as of late March 2024. The critique extends to social dynamics as well, with an anecdote about a board member at a formal dinner who refused to accept a resident's letter, perceived as dismissive and unprofessional. The overall message is one of frustration with a perceived mismatch between the severity of residents' complaints and the energy and timeliness with which management addresses them.

Against this heavy backdrop of critique, there remains a note of personal experience and resilience. The reviewer insists they have lived at Shalom House for about 11 years and emphasizes that, in their view, it is still the safest, cleanest, and best-kept building in the area. They credit the staff and security personnel as caring and dedicated to residents, and they deny discrimination from guards or staff. Yet within this same longueure of praise lies another serious claim: a specific security officer named Jerry is described as rude and, according to the reviewer, racist toward Spanish-speaking or Black residents. The account details a tense incident in which Jerry allegedly invaded personal space and demanded action (such as moving a car) in a way that the reviewer found inappropriate and discriminatory. This allegation is framed as part of a broader critique of how some staff treat residents, even as the reviewer reiterates that the overall security team is valued and that the facility has made improvements in its management approach.

In the closing arc of the narrative, there is a shift toward cautious optimism. The reviewer acknowledges that Shalom House has begun to upgrade the mentality of its management staff, with the community gradually approaching a four-star level and the hope that it can reach five stars in the future. This ending captures a nuanced evolution: a long-standing, historically strong sense of safety and cleanliness tempered by serious, ongoing concerns about communication, accountability, and responsiveness to problems. The hope expressed is that, with continued attention to resident needs, proactive remediation of hoarding and infestation issues, and greater sensitivity in interpersonal conduct among staff, the community can realize its full potential as a top-tier senior living environment.

Restaurants

• Water Dog Smoke House (0.8 miles)
• Hannah G's (0.8 miles)
• Hot Bagels & More (0.8 miles)
• Sundaze (0.9 miles)
• Robert's Place (0.9 miles)
• Custard's Last Stand (1.2 miles)
• Tomatoes (1.5 miles)

Cafes

• No 7311 (0.8 miles)
• Starbucks (0.9 miles)
• Hayday Coffee (4.1 miles)
• Starbucks (4.7 miles)
• Water Edge Cafe (4.9 miles)
• Starbucks (5.1 miles)
• Jon & Patty's Coffee Bar Bistro (5.7 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.6 miles)
• Walgreens (2.8 miles)
• Reverence Pharmacy (3.2 miles)
• Walgreens (3.8 miles)
• Walgreens (4.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (4.6 miles)

Physicians

• Eric S Dunn (1.8 miles)
• Nancy Merle MD (3.2 miles)
• AtlantiCare Physician Group, Primary Care Plus, Pleasantville (3.3 miles)
• Tomorrow's Wellness Center (3.4 miles)
• Atlantic Shore Family Practice (3.5 miles)
• Atlanticare (3.5 miles)
• Pediatric Pulmology (3.6 miles)

Transportation

• Atlantic City Rail Terminal (3.5 miles)

Hospitals

• Atlanticare Regional Medical Center (3.7 miles)
• Atlanticare Lifeline (5 miles)