Sewell, NJ Tomeeka Collins, founder and CEO of Collins Adult Residential Care, has transformed personal pain into purposeful service. Motivated by her own family’s health challenges and a profound desire to serve others, she now leads a team that provides critical care and life-skills training to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities throughout South Jersey. With services including community support, employment readiness, transportation, and 24-hour residential care, her agency offers not just assistance—but dignity, growth, and family. Tomeeka’s heartfelt mission is to expand this model into Philadelphia, Delaware, and beyond, bringing love and structure to individuals too often overlooked.
In an exclusive interview with the nation’s faith-based and professional newspaper for winners, Anointed News Journal, Tomeeka Collins shares her vision to redefine adult care through compassion, consistency, and community-centered leadership.
Collins:
Who is Tomeeka Collins?
Tomeeka:
Tomeeka Collins is the owner, CEO, and founder of Collins Adult Residential Care, located in Sewell, New Jersey. I’m a mother of three adult children and a grandmother of six. I’m widowed, and I love life—I truly enjoy helping people. My goal is to be successful in supporting individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. My staff plays a huge role in this mission. I’m originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I’ve been living in New Jersey for about 20 years.
Collins:
So, Tomeeka, just share with us—what motivated you to enter the arena of entrepreneurship?
Tomeeka:
What motivated me was my mother, Deborah Johnson Goode. She had a stroke in 1991, and I wanted to help her. Then in 2007, my brother was hit and dragged down the street. He suffers from a brain injury, and I’ve been caring for him ever since. My mother passed away three years ago, but I’m still caring for my brother—it’s been 17 years. That experience led me to want to help others. I believe that was the beginning of my journey.
Collins:
What is the mission of Collins Adult Residential Care?
Tomeeka:
Our mission is to open up group homes—though we call them “loving homes.” There are many individuals who age out of the system at 21 years old and have nowhere to go. We want to provide them with safe, loving places to live, where they can be cared for and supported by me and my incredible staff.
Collins:
Okay. And what type of services do you provide to these individuals?
Tomeeka:
We provide community-based services, individual support, employment services, transportation, respite care, and more.
Collins:
And go a little deeper into your services so that the public has a clearer understanding of exactly what you do.
Tomeeka:
My staff is called “Direct Service Providers”—but I refer to them as “Direct Service Professionals”, because that’s truly what they are. They go out to the individuals’ homes, pick them up, and take them where they need to go, while also supporting them in developing life skills.
They’ll take them to doctor’s appointments, fun events, music classes, and a variety of other activities. They also assist with accessing food pantries. We’re really committed to making sure our clients have what they need.
We currently support three brothers who live in an apartment together. They receive 24-hour care through three rotating shifts, which keeps us very, very busy.
Collins:
Okay. And you also mentioned something called respite care—is that correct? What exactly is that?
Tomeeka:
Respite care is for caregivers who need a break. Everyone needs a break sometimes. So we offer respite care by taking in the individual and providing services for up to a week. If more time is needed, the parent or guardian can contact us and we’ll continue providing care.
This includes shelter, meals, bedding, and planned activities—just like the ones I mentioned earlier. We also get them out into the community. I don’t know if you’ve heard of programs like Meals on Wheels, but we connect them with services like that, too.
Our goal is to help individuals become as independent as possible. Some of our clients already live on their own in apartments.
Collins:
Now, we understand that as a service provider, this is not free. How can families afford your services?
Tomeeka:
We’re contracted with the state of New Jersey, and in many cases, the state pays for our services. A lot of individuals qualify for that assistance. Others may pay out of pocket.
We try to work with each family to reach a happy medium while ensuring their loved ones receive the care they need. Sometimes, services are billed through insurance companies, which is a separate process. But we do our best to work with everyone, because we know it can get expensive.
Collins:
And when you mentioned the state, are you referring to Medicaid or Medicare?
Tomeeka:
That’s correct—very smart. We work with Medicaid. We don’t work with Medicare at this time. However, we do work with Medicaid, and the state provides funding through that. Some individuals fall into different tiers of support. For example, clients with higher needs may receive more funding from the state. We don’t have many individuals with hostile behaviors, but the greater the needs, the more the state typically provides.
Collins:
Okay. You had a professional career before becoming an entrepreneur. What words of encouragement would you give to a young person who may want to pursue an opportunity like yours?
Tomeeka:
Great question. I always wanted to be in business for myself. I went to college—Louisiana State University (LSU)—as a track star, so to speak, but I always knew I wanted to do more. Not just help people, but also build something that matters.
I studied business administration and told myself, “There are people out here who need services. They deserve to live life fully, just like we do.” That was my motivation.
So I followed my vision and my goal. To any young person who wants to be an entrepreneur, I’d say: Don’t give up. Put God first—that’s what I did. Ask God, “What is my journey right now?” and then go for it. Don’t stop. People give up too quickly.
There are individuals and services out there that will help you. And if anyone needs help, I’m always available to answer questions.
Collins:
And tell us about your staff. What makes your staff special?
Tomeeka:
Oh my goodness—my staff is amazing. They are the engine of the company. They go above and beyond. We hold regular meetings, and I have an open-door policy that I’m working on improving even more.
My staff does everything without complaints. For example, Mr. Robert Wright—he’s one of our lead staff members. He’s dependable, hard-working, and genuinely cares about the clients. Because of his dedication, he won a trip to Hawaii this past February. We believe in incentives.
But it’s not just Mr. Robert; We have an entire team of amazing people. If someone calls off, another team member jumps in immediately because they care about the clients. My staff also contributes great suggestions, and I make sure to reward that. I always give back.
I just love my staff. I truly would never give them up—never.
Collins:
So what’s next for Tomeeka Collins?
Tomeeka:
What’s next is for Collins Adult Residential Care to expand into Philadelphia and Delaware. Ultimately, we want to go global. On the immediate side, we’re focused on opening more homes for individuals in need. That’s our top priority right now—expansion and growth.
We’re also working on increasing our client base, which means improving our marketing and advertising. We’re looking for good people to become part of our homes and our agency. I’m really big on collaboration and suggestions from others, so building a strong team is important to me.
We plan to expand into Philadelphia while maintaining our presence in New Jersey—hopefully by the end of this year or early next year.
Collins:
Okay. You mentioned the three brothers who live in an apartment, whose caretaker passed away. Why was it so important for you to step in and provide for these individuals?
Tomeeka:
That’s a great question. I was already involved with them—the Spotwood’s is their last name—about three or four years before their caretaker passed. I knew she was getting sick, and unfortunately, many family members weren’t stepping up. There is one family member who really cares about them, but she wasn’t in a position to provide the care they needed.
So I stepped in. We started with respite care, as I mentioned earlier. Then we had to figure out where they would live long-term. We found a temporary home through someone I know, and they stayed there for about six months. After that, we moved them into an apartment.
Our next step is to place them in a permanent home, along with my brother. Those four individuals will be in our first official home. Right now, the apartment is small, but we provide 24-hour care with staff working in shifts: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., and 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Even while they sleep, someone is always there.
That’s my mission—for those brothers. They mean so much to me. They’ve learned a lot from our staff. They know how to sort clothes, they’re very domestic, and they’ve even learned how to use the remote control and navigate computers. They’re special.
Collins:
Is there any additional training or services you provide—such as life skills training—for your clients?
Tomeeka:
Yes, we provide a lot of skills training. We actually measure progress on a scale from 1 to 10. So, if someone comes in at level one, we work with them individually to help them improve. Each person is different, which is why they’re so unique.
The Spotwood’s, for example, have a mental capacity comparable to a second grader or younger. They are sometimes nonverbal. The oldest is 51 years old, and the youngest is 34. We teach them skills around the house and also take them out into the community. One of them is now going to Goodwill to learn how to work there for a few hours. Other individuals are learning how to cope with life independently—like going shopping on their own.
We also provide basic academic support like math, reading at different levels, and even swimming. We focus on progress. If after six months someone is still at level one, I go to my staff and ask why. We monitor growth because we want everyone to improve and welcome more people. We don’t want to stand still.
Collins:
And how can someone acquire your services? What is your website and contact information?
Tomeeka:
Sure. Our website is: njresidentialcare.com. It’s a wonderful site with a lot of helpful information.
Our agency is located at:
444 Hurffville Cross Keys Road, Sewell, New Jersey 08080
Phone number: (215) 888-4559
You can always call me directly. Or you can come down to our agency, and we’ll talk with you. We have a great administrative department that’s ready to help.
Collins:
And you mentioned you’re having some challenges in marketing. What are some of the difficulties you’re facing?
Tomeeka:
With marketing, especially here in South Jersey, the need for services is definitely there—but we don’t have a large marketing team, nor do we always know how to go about marketing effectively. That’s been a real struggle. We try our best and advertise as much as we can, but we definitely need more direction in that area.
Collins:
All right. The Anointed News Journal has over 180,000 weekly readers. In closing, what would you like to say to them?
Tomeeka:
Well, I’d just like to talk about compassion. A lot of people don’t realize how important compassion is. The individuals we serve—they need love, they need dedication, and they absolutely need compassion. You also need patience to do this kind of work.
Anyone who comes to work with Collins Adult Residential Care, we expect that level of compassion. And anyone receiving services—we want them to know that’s what they’ll get from us.
To the readers, I’d also like to say: Mr. Chris Collins, you’re amazing. I know you know who you are. You took the time to come out to the festival and connect with Mr. Robert Wright. We spoke on the phone, and it meant a lot.
So please, to the readers, take time to understand and digest what was just shared. We are a loving company, and we would really appreciate your support—especially with marketing. And if you know anyone who has a home that could be used for care, please reach out to me. That’s something we really need right now.
Conclusion:
Tomeeka Collins is more than a business owner—she’s a beacon of hope for families navigating the challenges of caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through her unwavering dedication, her agency continues to provide not just services, but a sense of home, dignity, and opportunity. As she expands her vision into new communities, Tomeeka remains committed to ensuring that every individual served is met with compassion, consistency, and care.
By Chris Collins
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