A Carbon County shelter’s day program has been shuttered due to the building it had been using being deemed unsafe.

The Lehighton Cold Weather Station’s day program at the old convent at Ss. Peter & Paul Parish center, 242 N. Third St., is now closed, said Nancy Berchtold, officer of St. Vincent de Paul Society of Ss. Peter & Paul in Lehighton.

The Lehighton Cold Weather Station is a project operated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a ministry of Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Lehighton. Typically, the day program served around 15 people, more when it’s extremely cold.

Berchtold explained they had a plumbing issue at the old convent. A pipe burst and the furnace quit on Wednesday, leaving the old convent with no heat.

She said they had a meeting Thursday night in the community room on the premises of Ss. Peter & Paul and that their attorney, who is part of the Diocesan Safety Committee that does annual inspections of their facilities, was in attendance.

“It just so happened that the timing was such that the pipe burst and the furnace turned off and now it seems irreparable,” Berchtold said. “It was the time of our annual inspection of our Diocese who oversee the buildings for safety and insurance concerns.”

Berchtold said the meeting was not supposed to have been for that purpose.

“It was originally intended to be a meeting for St. Vincent de Paul Society to showcase our ministries,” she said. “At the same time, we were hearing the reports of the (safety) study.”

In the meantime, Berchtold said St. Vincent de Paul will review its options.

“St. Vincent de Paul will look at fundraising if we can salvage the building,” she said. “But, really this is God’s way of opening another door.”

Berchtold explained they have relied on their day program at the Ss. Peter & Paul Parish Center to provide a meal for them on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as safety and warmth during the day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“I know we need to showcase our day program, but thankfully we have the facility in Mahoning Township, so we have safety for the evening with this Arctic blast coming in,” she said. “We can provide safety and shelter for this weekend.”

Berchtold is looking for a new location.

“What we’re looking for, at least temporarily, is perhaps another church to offer some space while we assess whether there’s repairs that can be done,” she said. “We’re under the impression from the Diocese that the building is too old, and just not appropriate for the use we have intended.”

Fortunately, Berchtold said Trinity Lutheran Church agreed to open its doors today to ensure those in need receive their lunches and a warm place to stay.

“They’re going to walk down to Trinity Lutheran Church at 11 (a.m.), have lunch serviced, activities, then this afternoon our volunteers will pick them up and take them out to the shelter in Mahoning,” she said. “It’s just so immediate, with this terrible windstorm and Arctic blast coming.”

The Lehighton Cold Weather Station, now located at 560 Country Club Road in Mahoning Township, opened in December and provides overnight shelter and meals when winter temperatures turn dangerous.

Joe and Debra Kay Bennett leased the 3,000-square-feet former Concern building to the Lehighton Cold Weather Station for $1 through April. That includes all utilities, electric, water and heat.

John Nespoli of St. Luke’s Hospital — Carbon Campus, donated the beds. Pencor Services Inc. donated the Internet and cable.

Volunteers transport guests from Lehighton to the shelter, where they are served dinner and breakfast.

The shelter serves adults 18 and older experiencing homelessness or housing instability and is open from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. when wind chills drop to 25 degrees or lower, from December through April, depending on volunteer availability.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the Lehighton Cold Weather Station may contact 570-952-5359.