At the advent of construction season in Pennsylvania, one local road is about to close.

It doesn’t carry much traffic, but its twists and turns have brought many who’ve traveled it to their latest stop, a Carbon County parcel in Lehighton.

And soon, the path of life for some occupants of what’s become known as Tent City will hit a dead end, for now.

In the coming months, homeless people who occupy the encampment will be asked to leave after county officials recently directed sheriff’s deputies to attempt to document residents and their needs in order to begin a cleanup of the site and get folks the help they may need.

A top county official said the move is also a liability issue, explaining the county owns the property being occupied. The borough also holds some responsibility since it’s charged with enforcing rules and regulations.

Michael Sofranko, commissioners chairman, said that although the homeless have certain rights, other residents of the area are tolerating things like burning in the encampment, garbage it generates and a fear of entering their own homes - things they shouldn’t have to deal with.

Wayne Nothstein, a county commissioner, said that recently as many as nine calls have been reported to the county 911 center regarding people burning near the encampment, while other complaints regarding trash and odor have been recorded. He warned about the possibility of a gate coming to the only road that leads to Tent City.

Looking back, observers liken the encampment to ones that existed when hobos rode the rails, stopping along their journeys from place to place. Some liken the county’s actions to sweeps - with the only goal being to move the homeless somewhere else.

A few weeks ago, a Tent City couple talked with Lehighton Borough Council about conditions at the camp,

They came forward to discuss their current living arrangement and to help put a face on other residents.

The couple works, and uses a meager salary to help others in the encampment get food, clothing, tents and other needs. Some of their neighbors, the couple says, have demons.

Recent efforts, however, point to a new, post-COVID focus that has breathed life into aiding the plight of homeless folks all over the county, including dealing with those demons.

In late January, the county sponsored a community-wide point-in-time assessment of the homeless situation.

Representatives from agencies from all over the county combed local communities to identify those in need to gather information about them and offer care packages that included toiletries, gloves, hats, blankets, socks, snacks, Narcan and other information regarding services that might be needed.

That same day warm sites opened across the county so those in need could share information about their circumstances.

The numbers are still being tabulated, but local organizers say the count is the highest it has been in several years, mirroring a national increase.

As an example, estimates show more than 650,000 people were homeless across America in 2023. As many as 15,000 people are homeless on a given day in Pennsylvania - about 8,000 of them in rural counties like Carbon.

Local aid efforts got a boost on Friday when the Carbon County Homeless Task Force gathered to organize committees that will help coordinate their work with those in need.

Meeting immediate needs is a noble first effort. Food, clothing and health assessments are a good start.

Finding places to live for people who don’t have one is more challenging.

There are few spots available in a housing market being devoured by an area-wide increase in population.

Dealing with root causes helps homeless folks learn to sustain themselves successfully. But those causes aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Dependency issues, trauma, domestic violence and mental illness - and combinations of any of those things - need coordination and discipline from everyone involved.

Agencies will be gathering in about a month see how that might happen when they meet at the annual Human Services Breakfast in Jim Thorpe on April 19.

Speakers will focus on housing and unsheltered individuals and will discuss gaps in services and resources available in the county.

Appropriately, the event’s theme is “Homeless not Helpless: Finding Your Way Home.”

For the people in Tent City and others all over the county, it offers hope and possibly a road map showing the way from an otherwise dead end.

ED SOCHA/tneditor@tnonline.com

ED SOCHA is a retired newspaper editor with more than 40 years’ experience in community journalism. Reach him at tneditor@tnonline.com.

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.