Peaceful Knights has opened a women’s emergency shelter in Lehighton to provide overnight stays to women facing homelessness.

Inside the shelter at 131 N. First St., they’ll find cozy beds, a kitchen, comfy recliners — and special touches like decorative rugs and inspirational art.

“In addition to a place to sleep, women staying in the emergency shelter can shower, have dinner and breakfast, and simply relax and watch TV for a while,” Aggie Schoenberger, founder/director of Peaceful Knights, said.

Schoenberger said Peaceful Knights had provided shelter to men and women beginning with its formation in 2007 and until 2015.

“When we moved into our larger facility at 215 N. First St. in 2015, the logistics of the building made it impossible for us to safely house men and women in the same facility, so unfortunately we had to put our services for women on hold,” she noted.

In 2022, Peaceful Knights began serving women again through the opening of its women’s transitional shelter.

“The transitional program is designed for women who are ready to work toward longer-term stability and has an application and admission process,” Schoenberger said. “We still didn’t have an immediate, low-barrier option for a woman who simply needed a place to sleep for the night.”

The recent opening fills that gap, she said. The new shelter has room for four women each night.

“Based on our experience operating an emergency shelter, we believe four beds is a reasonable starting point,” Schoenberger said.

Each year, Peaceful Knights serves approximately 100 people experiencing homelessness.

“We see firsthand how real the need is right here in our own community,” she said. “Women can find themselves with nowhere to sleep, and there simply haven’t been enough immediate options available locally.”

She said that not every woman is ready — or able — to enter a longer-term program, such as the transitional program. With those types of programs come an application process, along with structured days and expectations.

“Sometimes the immediate need is much simpler: ‘Where am I going to sleep tonight?’ ” Schoenberger said. “That is what this shelter is for. We can’t fix everything overnight, but we can make sure she has a place to sleep and doesn’t have to face that night alone.”

There is no application process; however, women must establish their identity. Women who are severely impaired, aggressive or unable to safely stay in the shelter are not welcome.

Schoenberger stressed that it is not a domestic violence shelter, and that it is open only to women who are in or from Carbon County.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support our community has given Peaceful Knights throughout the years. We could not have continued doing this work for nearly 20 years without the individuals, businesses, churches and organizations that have supported us, donated to us, volunteered and believed in our mission,” Schoenberger said.

She also noted that the Christian organization is not funded by taxpayers.

“It takes a lot of resources to provide shelter for approximately 100 people each year, and adding the women’s emergency shelter is a significant expansion for us. We’re hoping the community will continue to come alongside us and help us provide these services for our neighbors who have nowhere else to go,” Schoenberger said.

To schedule a stay, call or text 835-200-0771. The line is monitored daily from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. More information is available at https://peacefulknights.org/

“For us, this really comes back to something very simple: if someone has nowhere to sleep tonight and we’re in a position to help, we want to help,” Schoenberger said.