Crossroads Center

Crossroads Center's first and foremost goal is to get people off the streets. After meeting an individuals' basic needs of food and shelter, we then move to education and self sufficiency. To accomplish this we use our 4-Phase Recovery program. With the four phase program there are many goals we set such as: establishing savings, finding a job, finding a place to live, and working through any alcohol and substance abuse issues.

Our 4-Phase Recovery program provides services to homeless men, women and families in Central Nebraska. Our guests arrive at our door lost, broken and destitute. Provided with a safe and structured environment, the guests are able to focus on and resolve the issues that brought them to Crossroads. During the first phase, our guests attend eight weeks of life skills classes, give back two hours of service to the community each day, focusing on strengthening their character and developing a firm foundation on which to build self-sufficiency. The structured classroom environment provides stability and allows the guests to acclimate themselves to the positive, nurturing, and educational environment at Crossroads Center. During Phase Two guests work with many different employment agencies in the community to find a job that matches their abilities and skill level. Once a guest has obtained a job, they must work at this job for one month before entering Phase Three. As in all phases, guests are required to attend Celebrate Recovery, AA, or NA whenever applicable. Throughout Phase Three guests must maintain their employment, pay down their debts and establish a savings of at least $1,000. The Program Director will work closely with each guest to develop a personalized budgeting program, and urge them to make wise decisions with their money. There are no time restrictions associated with this phase. Phase four is the leadership phase, where the guests demonstrate their new skills. They then work towards either transitional housing or finding housing within the community.

Crossroads was established in 1983 as a small soup kitchen. We now have locations in three local communities that combined can serve up to 205 individuals at any given time. In 2020 we served almost 1,000 individuals with over 47,000 nights of stay. We have case managers that work with each person who joins our program. They lead the guests through the 4-Phase Recovery program. We have a team of staff who want to see each guest succeed and leave our facilities prepared for the future.

From our humble beginnings in 1983 as a soup kitchen with a single sleeping bed serving the Hastings community, until the year 2021 which finds Crossroads Mission Avenue on three campuses, the Lord has blessed and multiplied our resources. Our Hastings shelter served 430 guests in 2020 at our Emergency shelter and in transitional housing. Our Kearney campus opened in 2011, and was able to serve 365 guests in 2020. A new transitional housing facility now serves 5 women, and is still in the process of expanding during 2021. An emergency shelter and transitional housing were put into place in Grand Island in 2018, and were able to serve 182 men during 2020. Sustainability for the Mission are provided through a variety of sources, including Thrift stores, a recycle program and a partnership with the State of Nebraska Probation, Parole and Drug Court. Crossroads Mission Avenue's mission statement is bringing glory to God through the helping of people! Our goal is to help individuals make life-transforming changes which lead them to be self-sufficient and independent members of our tri-city communities.