Carbon County needs to deal with its housing crisis and a women’s shelter is needed.

That was the word of community leaders last week at the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley virtual discussion last week to discuss the “Roadmap to 2030.”

The group discussed “bold goals,” as Erin Connelly, associate vice president of impact with the GLVUW, asked the guest panel what they wanted to be different in Carbon County by 2030.

“What we’re focusing on now, is what we’re calling the road map to 2030,” said Connelly.

“2030 feels like a long time away, but so did 2022, when we started this bold goal process. Really what this is about, when we get to 2030, what do we want to be different in our community? What can we put into motion now, that gets us closer to a community where everyone belongs and everyone thrives?”

Gina Nichols, assistant director for Education & Rural Communities, moderated most of the conversation. She asked to the panel of local guests, what are critical needs in Carbon County?

“We definitely need a women’s shelter - we have no single women’s shelter in Carbon County,” said Jaimie Phelps of Family Promise.

“We get calls, multiple calls daily for single women - there’s no place to put them. There’s no funding stream specific for housing - single women’s or hotel vouchers, that I’m aware of.

“It’s difficult helping those who are already homeless, who don’t have the resources, who have dual diagnosis, who aren’t able to work. We have a housing shortage - to qualify for action committee, you have to have a landlord willing to work with you for them to help with first-month rent security,” Phelps said.

Marsha Macalush, CarbonCorps Program Manager with the GLVUW, said she worked for about two years as a re-entry specialist with women in Carbon County.

“They’re prohibited for even applying for housing if they have a felony on their background,” Macalush said. “There’s nowhere for them to go. … I saw a female sit in jail longer than they should have, because they were required to have a home plan and they didn’t have anywhere to go. Jail should not be their only option.”

But students are in need of housing, too.

“I have a lot of female seniors that are bouncing from house to house, and I have nowhere to go with them, because they don’t have a family, there’s no shelter nearby and they can’t get any kind of support,” said Kerri Miller, Lehighton High School and Elementary School social worker.

Miller said food is another pressing issue.

“As well as feeding families, I’m feeding a lot of families that maybe don’t have electricity for a few days. Finding nonperishable foods that can get them through for a few days because everything is backed up - that’s been a challenge.”

Jennifer Pantella of B.K.K. Street Outreach, added that family support across the board is needed.

“Once you go into the family-unit service, that’s where things kind of go all over the place,” Pantella said.

“When we’re connecting individuals to services, a lot of the programs are not inclusive as a family unit.”

Jeanne Miller, president of Jim Thorpe Rotary Club, said Carbon County is a child-care desert.

“Currently in Jim Thorpe there are not any licensed child-care services or preschools,” Miller added.

But participants agreed that despite many challenges, there are good things happening, and synergy among organizations.

“There is so many of us doing different things, we just need somebody to bring us together,” added Alicia Kline, executive director of Turn To Us.