Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonja Prince-Ward.
Sonja, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I will never forget the day my mother came to me and suggested we open a group home. Someone she knew was in the business and moving out of state and wanted to sell their existing facility. One of my Aunts had a similar business in South Carolina and suggested my mother and her other siblings think about going into the assisted living business. My mother wanted me to be included because I had recently graduated from Morgan State with a degree in Business Management and I think she believed that I knew everything there was to know about business. She could not have been more wrong. At any rate, I decided to humor her and that day, in September of 2000, I went with my mother and my aunts and uncle to see the property. I can’t explain it, but I knew the moment I stepped inside, that this would be ours. Mind you, it was old and needed a lot of work, and I just remember it being really dark and damp in there. I would later learn that the house was built in 1942 as evidenced by the leaking pipes and electrical issues. But still, I felt something special and I knew I was going to agree to this business. My mother also wanted to include four of my aunts and one of my uncles in this endeavor. But out of all 6 of us, I was the only one able to qualify to get the house. That was when I knew this was part of God’s plan. I was told that so many nurses and healthcare professionals tried and failed to purchase this home. The owner sold us the house and then tacked on another 50,000 to sell us the business.
We later found out this wasn’t right or legal since she couldn’t sell us the people and we had to get our own license. But what did we know? We bought it, literally and figuratively. Being in this business for close to 20 years now, I look back and see what a mighty long way we have come. The challenges of working with family, who A) didn’t respect me because of my age and B) didn’t give a hoot about my college education eventually proved to be too much. After five years of trying to make it work with her siblings, my mom and I decided to offer buy outs to them and revamp the entire operation. We had originally named it Lawson Assisted Living, because that was my mother’s maiden name and after all, it was being run by me, my mother, and half of her siblings. But after we parted ways, we changed the name.
In 2006 we decided on a fresh start and opened a new facility on our side of town that would represent us. My mother had this brilliant idea to name it Prince of Peace Assisted Living. I loved it. My last name was Prince, Prince of Peace is in the bible, and even the abbreviation made sense, POP Assisted Living! It was perfect. We rented a property in an upscale neighborhood in Fort Washington, MD, Tantallon is what they call the subdivision. Mostly doctors and lawyers and even the boxer, Riddick Bowe lived there. We had no problem filling each of our five vacancies. In no time, we had a waiting list and two years later, in 2008, we opened another location. We rented a 2nd property in that same area, and now had Prince of Peace I and Prince of Peace II. Lawson Assisted Living was being run by other family members who agreed to operate the home while I acted as simply a landlord. I collected a flat rate each month to pay the mortgage and everything else would go to them to run the day to day operations. This worked well for about four years, despite the opposition from the rest of the family warning me that they would never pay me.
In fact, I did get paid every month and on time. It was a perfect set up. Until it wasn’t. One day they called to tell me they wanted to start their own business and open an assisted living in a nearby county. I was happy for them and said I would start looking for staff to fill those vacancies and run that home for me once they left. After all I was still working full time for the government and my mother was busy running POP 1 & 2. They failed to mention I wouldn’t really need any staff since they planned to take all of my residents with them when they left. I was furious and felt betrayed and was now left with an empty house that needed even more work done and no residents to cover the expenses. Needless to say, this placed a strain on our relationship. I put my big girl panties on and devised a plan. Since the house was only in my name, I had too much to lose, including my good credit. One thing about it, I believe in the power of prayer. I prayed and I went to work. I hired a guy who moved into the house and starting renovating and making repairs. Aside from costing me even more money to replace the sprinkler heads that he thought was a good idea to paint, he did a good job. While he was working, I was in constant communication with the mortgage company and managed to get a loan modification. By the time the modification was accepted and all the repairs were done, I had new residents interested in moving in. I hired staff and renamed this home Prince of Peace III.
In 2015, right after I got married, we opened our 4th location in Cheltenham, MD, and that became Prince of Peace IV. I am happy to report that we are almost full in every location. To only have one or two vacancies out of all of our homes is truly a blessing and a testament to the remarkable care that we provide. Our residents become family when they come to Prince of Peace. We treat all of our residents like we would our own grandparents. I am also sensitive to the needs of my resident’s family members. It’s hard for some people to leave their loved ones in a home. I often text pictures and random videos of our residents to help put them at ease. Once they see their Moms and or Dads beginning to thrive in our care, they begin to relax and are able to sigh a sense of relief. I fully invest in my staff and offer them appropriate training classes including an extensive Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care course needed to be successful in this line of work. Like I said earlier we have come a mighty long way but one thing has always been constant. The love and care we give to each of our residents’ and their family members is unmatched. So many of our residents come from word of mouth referrals. Our families hail from all over the United States, Atlanta, Florida, Detroit, you name it. But once they get to Prince of Peace, they become family.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Working with family has been the biggest struggle. Dealing with different personalities and everyone wanting do things their way was always an uphill battle. Once my mother and I decided to venture out on our own, it was much easier to move forward. Occasionally we had to deal with difficult family members of our residents or people who just didn’t want to pay, but in the 20 years we have been in business this has not been a major issue and we count that as a huge blessing.
Prince of Peace Assisted Living – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Sonja Prince-Ward and her mother, Alice Prince Hall, own and operate the Prince of Peace Assisted Living Facility. Each owner shares the responsibility equally for all aspects of the business.
Prince of Peace Assisted Living Facility set itself apart by providing a home-like, clean, loving and caring facility for its clients. This is evidenced by the numerous referrals from social workers from the Department of Aging and Disability, Department of Health and Human Services and also from former client family and friends. Prince of Peace Assisted Living operates under the flat rate system. We can receive the same monthly payment regardless of the level of care and staff assistance needed. Fees vary depending on the services provided and may range between $1700 for our Subsidy and Waiver clients and up to $4500 for our private pay residents.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Integrity, in everything we do my mother and I operate with a sense of integrity. We have been in this business almost 20 years with an impeccable reputation for quality and affordable care. In this business, that is commendable.
Pricing:
- Shared Room $3000 – $4000 per month
- Private Room $3500 – $4500 per month
Contact Info:
- Address: 7420 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park MD 20912
213 Surrey Circle Drive, Fort Washington, MD 20744
12921 Asbury Drive, Fort Washington MD 20744
10428 Terraco Drive, Cheltenham, MD 20613 - Website: www.princeofpeaceal.com
- Phone: 240-205-6978
- Email: sonprnc@aol.com
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