Safe Harbor Easton
History

Safe Harbor Easton has grown from two roots. In 1983, the Easton Drop-In Center began as a day shelter for the city’s poorest residents, people who spend the bulk of their time on the streets. Under the auspices of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, the Drop-In Center offered meals, recreation, advocacy, and socialization for low-income residents. The Drop-In Center was located at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church until it outgrew its facilities.

In 1988, Lafayette College students demonstrated a need in the community for a shelter for men by opening a temporary “roving” shelter that moved from church to church during the winter months. Soon a community group formed to establish a permanent shelter in an abandoned building owned by the City of Easton. A capital campaign raised over $400,000 for the renovation of the facility.

Thus, in the fall of 1990, the Easton Drop-In Center moved to the Safe Harbor building and the Salvation Army of Easton opened an overnight shelter for adult men and women there. These two programs operated independently, though cooperatively, until 1993 when CACLV took over the shelter and merged the two programs.