News

Open House Details: Date – Thursday, June 26, 2026 Time – 10am – 3pm Location – 907 W 8th Street in Lexington, NE

Crossroads Mission Avenue invites the public to an Open House on Friday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to present their new Transitional Housing Facility at 907 W 8th Street to the Lexington Community.

The new facility, housed in a fully renovated building, provides approximately 4,400 square feet of affordable housing units and office space – a nearly $2 million investment in Dawson County. Twelve efficiency-style apartments offer 20 units of transitional housing for homeless individuals and families participating in the Crossroads 4-Phase Recovery program. Each apartment features its own kitchen and bathroom, with select larger units designed to offer the flexibility to accommodate families. The facility opens its doors to eligible residents on July 6, 2026, with applications accepted through referrals from community agencies. Tours to showcase the apartments will be available throughout the Open House.

Following the Need into Rural Nebraska

Feeling the impact of unmet needs in surrounding counties has led to Crossroads’ campaign to Follow the Need and expand westward with homeless services. Beginning in 2022, by providing food services to Dawson County in partnership with Food Bank for the Heartland (FBFH), Crossroads has provided over 20,000 food boxes to struggling families through a monthly mobile food pantry. Food pantry services through the Lexington Mission Avenue Thrift Store were added in January 2026 in response to critical new needs created by the closing of the Tyson Foods plant.

The Lexington Mission Avenue Thrift Store has been providing ongoing support to the community through the availability of low-cost clothing and household goods. The store has donated almost $15,000 worth of basic necessities to date to families in need, who can receive these items free of charge. Seeking to serve not only those with food insecurity but also the men, women, and families experiencing homelessness in Dawson County has encouraged Crossroads to bring local care and its 4-Phase Recovery Program, which, along with transitional housing options, provides better long-term outcomes for unsheltered individuals.

Ongoing conversations with local churches in rural communities have revealed a rising homeless population, while services remain out of reach. Central Nebraska falls under the Nebraska Balance of State Continuum of Care (CoC), which manages homeless assistance, housing resources, and supportive services across 84 of the state’s 93 counties. According to the Housing Assistance Council’s March 2025 Research Brief on Housing Affordability, unsheltered family homelessness in rural CoC’s increased 36 percent between 2023 and 2024, compared to a 7 percent increase nationally. Daniel Buller, Executive Director of Crossroads Mission Avenue, explains, “When you think of homeless shelters and outreach, you do not think about rural America typically, but the fact is that rural America is struggling, and homelessness and poverty are on the rise.”

The National Alliance to End Homelessness describes rural homeless individuals as the “hidden homeless”, stating in their January 2010 report, “Many rural homeless people live in places we do not see; they often are sleeping in the woods, campgrounds, cars, abandoned farm buildings, or other places not intended for habitation. Many more individuals and families in rural areas live in substandard housing or are doubled up. These households are at risk of homelessness.”

Buller continues, “To add insult to injury, resources are limited or non-existent for those who are in dire need of assistance. Bringing facilities into rural communities that are scaled to fit the community allows us to begin addressing the issues of poverty, addiction, and mental health. This brings a safety net to communities that currently have very little to offer. This model is critically needed here in Central Nebraska, and is exactly what Crossroads is providing for Dawson County: the infrastructure necessary to serve those in crisis.”

About Crossroads Mission Avenue

Serving the homeless in Central Nebraska for 43 years, Crossroads Mission Avenue is in a unique position to bring those services to Dawson County. The Mission has campuses in Kearney, Grand Island, and Hastings, which provide comprehensive care in a nurturing environment, including services such as safe shelter, food services, life skills classes, and one-on-one case management, which helps their guests gain employment, financial independence, and stable housing. Their 4-Phase Recovery Program is key to equipping Crossroads guests for successful long-term living and is central to preventing a return to homelessness.  An invaluable addition to Crossroads’ services, the new transitional living apartments in Lexington are designed to help low-income families rise out of poverty.

Crossroads receives more than 100 calls per year for homeless shelter assistance from Dawson County alone. The new Lexington facility, built to serve individuals and families through the organization’s Personal Resilience Program, represents a meaningful expansion of that care into a community that has long needed it. Buller shares, “It is an exciting time for the ministry of Crossroads Mission Avenue to take next steps in fulfilling the mission that God has called us to, which is to care for those who are homeless and in need in Central Nebraska. Opening a Mission in Lexington will create an opportunity to serve those who refer to Crossroads during their greatest time of need, and we are honored to open the doors for assistance to those in need on July 6, 2026. Our aim is to honor God through the ministry and to break cycles of homelessness and poverty. Crossroads Mission Avenue Board of Directors and I are inviting community members to come see this beautiful new facility and to celebrate with us.” 

Crossroads Mission Avenue’s mission is to bring glory to God through the helping of people.  Step by step, Crossroads walks alongside its guests through the long and complex journey of homelessness recovery – and now, for the first time, will do so in Lexington.