A volunteer group in Lehighton has fulfilled its mission with a new headquarters to serve as a homeless shelter in Mahoning Township.

As of Dec. 4, the Lehighton Cold Weather Station has operated from its new premises at 560 Country Club Road, the site of what was once “Concern.”

The roughly 3,000-square-feet (including both levels) is possible due to the generous benefactors, Joe and Debra Kay Bennett, the owners of the property who have agreed to lease it to the Lehighton Cold Weather Station until April.

The downstairs consists of a dining area, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room, while the upstairs is comprised of beds, a bathroom, and an office for chaperones on duty.

Grace Clayton, of the Lehighton Cold Weather Station, said volunteers pick up the homeless individuals from Lehighton and transport them to the shelter where they are served dinner and breakfast.

“They are so grateful to have a place,” Clayton said. “I don’t know how many times they’ve thanked me.”

Once they arrive, Clayton said the unique individuals sign in. New guests go through an intake with the operations manager, at which time they review the rules with them. They then must sign out when they leave the next morning.

They serve adults age 18 and older (men and women); individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability; guests seeking warmth, safety, meals, and community during severe winter cold.

The shelter is open from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., whenever the windchill is 25 or below, as long as they have sufficient volunteers, from December through April.

So far on the six nights they’ve been open since Dec. 4, they have had anywhere from 7 to 13 guests, with over 50 nights logs already. To date, they have served 17 unique people, including 13 on Tuesday, and 12 on Wednesday.

Clayton noted they continue to run a daytime program from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at a different location in Lehighton in which they offer showers, laundry and lunch.

“We hope to be able to continue this but we need additional day time chaperones to make it happen,” she said. “We have served 91 unique individuals in the day program over the last four months.”

Last winter, the-then overnight shelter saw 53 unique individuals served, 22 guests on their busiest night. During the summer day program, they provided showers, laundry, lunch, community and connection to services, with 91 unique individuals served (15 to 30 people daily).

Services provided include a warm overnight shelter, hot meals and beverages, prayer and compassionate care, community connection and support, and referrals to local service.

Clayton said each night they are open represents lives protected from dangerous cold and hope shared through consistent, loving presence.

She said St. Luke’s Hospital Carbon Campus graciously donated 26 beds, while the Lehighton Cold Weather Station bought the sheets.

“To have comfortable beds makes all the difference,” Clayton said.

However, she said their biggest challenge is transportation, and that in addition to transportation, they are in need of money and overnight staffing.

“Overnight staffing is the greatest challenge (in the) volunteer capacity, especially for overnight shifts,” she said. “Volunteers are essential to the atmosphere of community and compassion we strive to maintain, but many juggle demanding work and family schedules.”

Clayton said they are seeking to hire one or two overnight staff members 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. to provide reliable coverage each night the shelter is open; support and strengthen our volunteering team, and ensure safety, continuity and stability.

“We were unable to secure a facility within walking distance for our guests this season,” she said. “After exploring other options, we have determined that they must purchase a passenger van to safety transport guests to the shelter.”

Clayton noted that they rely entirely on community support to operate. Financial partnerships will directly fund overnight staffing, transportation (including the purchase of a passenger van), meals and essential supplies, bedding, hygiene kits, and operational needs.

“A gift in any amount makes a meaningful difference and helps ensure their shelter can remain open every time temperatures put lives at risk,” she said.

Clayton said they currently have 22 chaperones, and that the bare minimum is a total of 12 chaperones to work four-hour shifts in order for them to be open.

She added that St. John’s Lutheran Mahoning provided the funding for the Lehighton Cold Weather Station to provide a world-class online training program for chaperones that they can do from home that gives them the tools to work with the homeless individuals.

Clayton said anyone interested in volunteering may contact 570-952-5359.

She said information sessions were held on Thursday at the Lehighton Area Memorial Library, while another is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Lehighton Recreation Center.