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WHO QUALIFIES

for the Transitional Living Program?

1) Must be in or from Carbon County

2) Must be homeless

3) Must not have children in your custody

4) Must have income of less than $1,000/month.

5) Must be over 18

6) Must pass drug test

7) Must not have a recent active addiction to heroin or meth or will be referred to long term rehab

8) Must be willing and able to work 40 hrs per week and walk long distances and climb stairs (This is not for the emergency shelter - this is for the transitional program)

9) Must be willing to volunteer and look for work for a combined 40 hours per week.

10) Must agree to our housing agreement, income agreement, and general rules.

11) Must agree to zero tolerance of any drug or alcohol use.

12) Must have ID and an emergency contact.

13) Must be willing to attend church each week

A phone interview is done initially. If a potential client passes that, then a face-to-face interview is scheduled with a Peaceful Knights rep. If they qualify after the interview, they may immediately enter

the program.

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Past client, doing well!

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WHAT’S THE 1ST NIGHT LIKE?

The first night is easy, or at least should be. Nothing is required of our clients except to get something to eat, get a shower and get settled in and meet their housemates. They are given clean bedding and a towel and a washcloth as well as personal hygiene items like soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, razors and shaving cream.

Many of our clients have not slept in a bed for days, weeks, and sometimes months and years…

One of our clients didn’t wake up until late the next evening. We had his housemates nudge him every once in a while to make sure he was still breathing… But once he was well rested he had plenty of energy!

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Previous Client - it was almost 80 degrees when I took this photo, but our friend was reluctant to shed his coat and scarf…too many days he didn’t let them out of his reach; his prized and only possessions. We gave him a pair of boots which he hung around his neck as he left us and continued on his journey. Be well my friend, wherever you are.

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WHAT’S THE 1ST WEEK LIKE?

The first week is pretty busy! Clients must meet with a PK rep at least 3 times during the week. They will be asked a lot of questions about their current condition as well as about their history and their health, their fears and concerns. They will either write a resume or update their existing one. They will get into healthy habits and add structure to their lives. They will attend church and probably get a haircut and some clothes to look for employment. They will be encouraged to get a library card and they will be required to apply for food stamps and to change their address at the post office. They will most likely have to visit a food bank or two until their food stamps kick in. They will be given a map of the local area if they are not familiar. And they will be monitored. They will be given a phone if they don’t have one and the use of a bicycle to make job hunting a bit easier. They will be required to volunteer and/or fundraise for at least 10 hours that week to “pay” their rent.

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Past Client - Before and After, current whereabouts unknown.

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WHAT’S THE 1ST MONTH LIKE?

THE FIRST MONTH IS USUALLY EXCITING AND SCARY AND HOPEFUL AND HARD….LET ME EXPLAIN:

Our clients usually have a great 1st week! They feel like a million bucks after some good food, good sleep, and encouragement! They head out to look for work by the end of the week and they are pumped! The good news is that most of our clients find work within 2 weeks. The bad news is that just before they get hired, they usually get down and think that they will not be able to find work. Looking for work for 30 hours a week is not a simple task. And when you do more job searching in 2 weeks than you ever did in your life, you almost expect to get hired right away. When that doesn’t happen, our clients sometimes get in a funk… This is a good time for volunteers to come along side and take them to the gym or to dinner or out to a movie. (Mentors are so important and we always have opportunities for volunteers to help our clients out!) Then they get hired! Many have not had work for a very long time and they feel very proud of obtaining employment - as they should! Often they get sore feet and achy muscles as they get back into a regular job. Many times our clients will receive more than one job offer in the same week. We encourage them not to take on so much that they fail at both, but rather to commit to the one offering the most pay/hours to start. In this program, they must work and/or look for work for no less than 30 hours a week. So if they get hired for 20 hours a week, they must also look for supplemental employment for an additional 10 hours per week. 40 hours per week is just about necessary to be able to afford your own apartment one day. We also start “Knight Training” after the first week. (See next slide)

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Past client, doing well and starting a family!

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WHAT IS KNIGHT TRAINING?

WE BASE KNIGHT TRAINING ON THE KNIGHT TRAINING IN MEDIEVAL TIMES! For example: If a man wanted to be a knight back then, the first thing they were taught was horsemanship - how to stay on their horse. Because in battle, if they fell off their horse, they would likely be killed. In the same way, we seek to find out what knocks our clients “off their horse”. What types of things have they been battling in life that continue to knock them down? Then we look at ways they can prepare for battle, strengthen themselves, and types of “armor” that they can put on for protection. Of course our “Knight Training” is supported with verses from the Bible as we look at the reality of choosing which King to serve. We never require our clients to believe what we believe; only to think about it.

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3 SILENT KNIGHTS

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HOW DOES SOMEONE GRADUATE?

Once a client has a job, they are required to live by a budget which includes a weekly amount to put to the side to save for 1st month’s rent and security deposits. When they have enough saved and they are making at least $1200/month, they can afford their own apartment. We help them to look and apply as well as with furnishings from donations. It’s a very happy day! (In 2021 that amount is more like $1500 - $1800)

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Tattoo one of our clients got shortly after he moved out on his own!

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WE ARE A CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION

BECAUSE WE REQUIRE OUR CLIENTS TO ATTEND A BIBLE BASED CHURCH (OF THEIR CHOICE) AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, WE DO NOT RECEIVE ANY GOVERNMENT FUNDING. WE REFUSE TO MUZZLE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. WE BELIEVE THAT A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM IS THE ONLY REAL WAY TO PEACE AND JOY. THIS ORGANIZATION FAITHFULLY TRUSTS HIM TO PROVIDE FOR THE NEEDS OF OUR CLIENTS THROUGH DONATIONS AND SUPPORT FROM CARING INDIVIDUALS, BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS AND CHURCHES. WE STRIVE TO FIND WAYS TO BE SELF-SUPPORTIVE AND ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS! IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED AND WOULD LIKE TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS, PLEASE CONTACT US! THE REWARD IS GREAT! WHEN SOMEONE IS HOMELESS THEY ARE ALMOST HOPELESS. IF SOMEONE COMES TO US, THAT MEANS THAT EVEN THEIR FAMILY WOULDN’T OR COULDN’T SHARE A SOFA WITH THEM. WHEN THEY REALIZE THAT THERE IS REAL HOPE AND THEY TAKE THAT FIRST STEP OF FAITH TOWARDS A NEW LIFE - IT’S JUST INCREDIBLE TO WITNESS AND BE A PART OF THAT TRANSFORMATION!

“FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU,” DECLARES THE LORD, “PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE.”

JEREMIAH 29:11

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Past Client getting baptized!

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2 past clients - one in heaven, one remaining strong and doing well

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History of Peaceful Knights, Inc

2007 - Corporation formed

(1st in Carbon County to help the homeless)

2008 - Recognized by the IRS as a Charitable organization, By-Laws Written, Board formed

2009 - helped a handful of clients and housed them at the Mahoning Court Motel

2010 - rented our 1st apartment on an ongoing basis; gave presentations at local organizations that come into contact with homeless in our area; rec’d 96 calls for assistance; housed 21 new clients!

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History, continued

2011 - added our 2nd apartment; rec’d 133 calls for assistance; housed 14 new clients

2012 - added our 3rd apartment; assisted a group of individuals form “Hands Of Hope” to help the homeless in Pike County; had over 160 calls for assistance; housed 21 new clients!

2013 - had over 200 calls for assistance and opened an office in Lehighton and added a “live in Sheriff”! Idea of Manger Mission was born

2014 - hired a director and negotiated a lease purchase agreement on a HUGE building

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2015 - adjusted to living under 1 roof, updated the building with flooring and furnishings - hired a part time director

2016 - Purchased the building; did more repairs and updates to the building, Community support continues to grow

2017 - got zoning approval to open an emergency shelter on the lower level; got Gabriel the dog - our Christmas angel!

2018 - just about filled to capacity! Overcame obstacles

2019 - most beds stay filled in transitional program and up to 7 men/night in emergency shelter! Increased to “4 house dads” (2 in charge of emergency shelter and 2 in charge of transitional living program)

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2020 - COVID

2020 - shut down emergency shelter during covid - that would be our “quarantine area” if anyone got the disease. No one did - well not in 2020 anyway. We did not force the guys to go job hunting for a couple months during the shutdown - we planted a garden outback instead!

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2020 - Women’s Shelter Building

Aggie purchased a building a few doors down from the men’s shelter. It has 2 apartments and 2 storefronts. The goal is for the 2 apartments to cover the costs of the mortgage, taxes & insurance so that the 2 storefronts can be rented by PK for just the cost of the utilities. We had hoped to be open by Christmas of 2020, however it seems to be taking forever to obtain an engineer’s drawing in order to get started. Please keep this in prayer

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CLOSING DAY on the building

we hope to house the women’s shelter!

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2021

2021 has been very good and very bad. Our house dads are doing a SUPERB job at running the place. They do not get paid by PK. The main house dads get to live here rent-free. The assistant house dads only have to pay $50/week rent (rather than $100). They are growing in their leadership positions and learning how to work together and how to help every man that comes through our doors.

That’s the very good part...

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2021 - new problems

We are currently facing 2 very big issues that seem new to us. The first is the cost of apartments. Our guys are saving money, but they need a TON of money saved in order to rent an apartment now - and that’s IF they can find one. Most rents are at least $900 now in our area. As a result, the average stay for those looking to move into an apartment is higher.

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2021 - 2nd problem

The 2nd issue is that there seems to be a change in the drugs that are being abused in Carbon County and surrounding areas. We believe this to be fentanyl and carfentanil. They are changing personalities as well as killing folks. We have heard of “parties” where they are abusing opioids and trying to see who “dies” first so they can use narcan to bring them back to life. We have had at least 2 of our previous clients die of drug overdose in the past few months. Our hearts are broken.

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Steve S. Deceased 2021

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PERSONALITY CHANGES

Not only are they dying - but they are having severe psychotic personality changes. One gentleman who was with us a few months a couple years ago - came back to the shelter for assistance...in a couple of hours he displayed very strange behavior and was taken by police when he was found down by the bypass exposing himself to cars that drove by. Another gentleman came back to us 2 weeks after he left and believed he had a chip in his head.

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Yet another believed he was specially sent by God to save the world. These are gentlemen that stayed with us previously and that we knew and many of them were doing good….and then they come back and they are delusional. The one house dad said they come back because this is “home”. It just breaks my heart. I can visit some of them in prison, but now I don’t know how to help them. There are such few resources for them. But I’m sure God will show us the way. He has always taught us how to handle each type of situation...one at a time. So please tell everyone you know that the drugs today are so very different and so very dangerous.

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Lethal Doses

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215 North 1st Street - Lehighton

Open every night from 7pm - 9am. Men can shower, eat dinner and get a good night’s sleep

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Past client, doing well!

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OUR CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT - Pastor Timothy Ream

VICE PRESIDENT - David Gatewood

TREASURER (and Founder) - Aggie Schoenberger

SECRETARY - Wanda Lavern

DIRECTOR - Larry Ahner

DIRECTOR - Harold Schoenberger

DIRECTOR - Traci Caprio

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Past client, whereabouts unknown

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SUPPORTING LOCAL CHURCHES

BLUE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY CHURCH

CHRIST EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH

BETHANY EVANGELICAL CHURCH

DINKEY MEMORIAL

TRINITY LUTHERAN

BEN SALEM UCC

ZION UCC

ST MATTHEWS LUTHERAN

LEHIGHTON BIBLE CHURCH

FAITH ALIVE UNITED METHODIST

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Past client doing well and living in Florida

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SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS

LEHIGHTON ORIOLES

UNITED WAY

WALMART

CARBON COUNTY BUILDERS ASSOC

PALMERTON LUMBER

EYELAND

WALMART EYECARE CENTER

DR. BRUCE HARTMAN

CARBON FOOT AND ANKLE

A’S HAIR SALON

PYRAMID GYM

MARZEN’S HARDWARE

MAUCH CHUNK TRUST

THE TREASURE SHOP

SERVICE CONSTRUCTION

COCA COLA

CROSSFIT UNPLUGGED

APR SUPPLY CO

RJ WALKER

LOWE’S

ALL OF OUR DONATION JAR LOCATIONS!

PARAMOUNT ABSTRACT

MILLER’S COUNTRY STORE

MAHONING VALLEY CINEMA

MAUCH CHUNK OPERA HOUSE

ST LUKES NURSES

OHL FUEL OIL

CINDY’S DELI

VERONA PIZZA

COMMUNITY BANK

LIBERTY AUTOGLASS

SELTZER’S

KOVATCH SALES AND SERVICE

THE ZOO HEALTH CLUB

BODY AND SOUL COMPLEX

ANDREAS PLUMBING AND HEATING

DUNKIN DONUTS

CASTLE GATE REALTY

AND MANY OTHERS!

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