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This week’s Community Spotlight honoree is April Crossley, 48, co-owner of Homes of Grace, a company working to create affordable housing for older people in Berks County.
This conversation, which took place through email, has been edited for length and clarity.
Good Day, Berks: Where do you live?
April Crossley: Mohnton
Tell us a little about your family.
I live with my husband, Justin, and we have two mini cows as pets. I have a son, Alexander, who is 31. My parents have retired to Florida, but my sister, Amy, and my aunt, Lori, live within 10 minutes of my home, and I am very close to them.
Tell us about your work (volunteer and/or otherwise) and what you like about it.
I co-own a company called Homes of Grace with my business partner, Lura. We are currently redeveloping a home in Sinking Spring to serve as co-living for seniors, a model we intend to replicate throughout Berks County.
The idea is to provide space for seniors to rent at a reasonable rate. Our rates will be about 30% less than the fair market rate in the area and will include all utilities, Wi-Fi, and cleaning of common areas.
I love this model because it offers community and connection. A lot of seniors are lonely, but this concept allows them to have their own bedroom while living Golden Girls-style in community with others. It’s meant to provide housing for independent seniors who can’t afford a one-bedroom apartment or who are just looking for a type of community living.
As rates of homelessness are increasing in Berks, we are taking our 21 years of landlord experience and working to create more affordable housing models. Our end goal is to build a tiny-home community for seniors. We’re actively working on that as we finish renovating the co-living space.
I believe we all need to come together as a community and be lifting each other up, and I think that creating housing like this promotes that goal.
Tell us about a challenge you faced.
I have faced a ton of challenges in life, but I look at them as God’s way of preparing me to fulfill my purpose.
I was pregnant when I was 16 and turned 17 a few days after my son was born. I had a baby, went back to finish my senior year of high school, attended college, graduated, and worked in healthcare for 13 years.
Then I started building a real estate company, which brought its own challenges. I retired from healthcare at age 35 to work on my own business, and I’ve been building businesses ever since.
I was stuck in survival mode for a long time due to moving constantly at 100 miles per hour as a teen mom trying to make ends meet and raise my son. But I’ve done a lot of work on myself over the past seven years and can happily say that, while I still face challenges, I’ve gotten myself unstuck from the grind of survival mode and feel like I am truly thriving for the first time in my life.
Favorite place to eat in Berks County?
Crave Cafe in Sinking Spring. I hold a lot of meetings there. Everyone is so friendly, and I love their food. They are also very supportive of many other small businesses and organizations in the area. I love to show my support to businesses that do the same and give back to the community.
Where would you take a visitor to in Berks and why?
We’d start on the trails at Blue Marsh and Gring’s Mill for a relaxing walk, then head to Plum Creek creamery for ice cream. After that, we’d go to LaFaver Family Farm in Hamburg to see the beautiful countryside and pet some Highland cows.
What book, poem, song, or artwork is meaningful to you?
Holy Moments by Matthew Kelly is the most impactful book I’ve read in the last two years. It really makes you realize how small moments impact someone’s life, and how you have the power to encourage people and make them feel positive and welcome. It’s a short book that I intend to read over and over, as it’s a great handbook for life.
Who in your life has had a great influence on you, and how did they influence you?
My husband, who completely changed the trajectory of my life. He taught me financial education, budgeting, home ownership, and many other skills. I knew nothing about these things when I graduated from college, but he really got me onto solid ground. He’s one of the smartest people I know.
This positive news for Berks County is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the United Way of Berks County, which is celebrating 100 years of service to the community. Learn more here | Become a supporter of Spotlight PA here.