One can depend on winter winds to whip through Nebraska every year. However, for hundreds in Hastings, the basic needs of food and shelter are not as dependable. The challenges of hunger and homelessness are hitting close to home.

The Crossroads Center, near the intersection of 14th and Burlington, is a shelter and rebuilding center for the homeless and hungry. The center provides free food, water and shelter to anyone in need and offers a more permanent four-phase program of recovery.

In the past year, Crossroads served over 43,000 hot meals and provided beds for 350 unduplicated guests. Today, the center continues to be a safe haven and a helping hand.

At 5 p.m. on weekdays, the center's dinning room begins to bustle. Cooks mix tuna casserole and stir pots of gravy. Children pull their parents into the room, line up to grab trays and settle in for the meal.

Thomas Chambers, sits down to eat with his three sons. Chambers and his family have been at Crossroads since September and are involved in the classes and programs.

"It's just like a home here," Chambers said. "We all have our daily chores to help out with."

The Crossroads program began 26 years ago and moved to its current location in 2005. Recently, the facility has expanded from 79 beds to 114 to accommodate its growing population. Extreme heat and extreme cold cause the number of residents at Crossroads to spike.

"Normally, we have 40 to 50 individuals staying with us," said Pete McConnell, program director. "But in the past month and a half, we have reached 95 people - our highest number ever."

The center receives a grant each year from the Nebraska Homelessness Assistance Program and the remaining funds from donations and sales at the Crossroads thrift store, which is located in the basement of the shelter.

Whether hungry, homeless, struggling with finances, facing addiction, or struggling elsewhere, people call or send letters to the shelter asking for help. Occasionally, people just show up.

"When a person comes to us, we try to meet their basic needs first," McConnell said. "Down the road, we look ahead to what they are going to do when they are done here."

If an individual seeks long-term assistance, the center has a four-step recovery program in place. The first phase includes eight weeks of life skills classes and daily community service work.

"Community volunteers and staff make up our counseling and education programs," McConnell said. "But if an individual has extreme needs right away, we also use community resources such as trauma therapy counselors and nurses."

Tanya Chambers, mother of four and a Crossroads resident, recently completed the first phase of the program. 

"Crossroads is a very good place to come," Tanya said. "The classes here are a chance to get educated again about finances, nutrition, jobs and personal relationships. The remaining steps in the program include job hunting, paying off debts and taking a leadership position at Crossroads."

"Ultimately, the goal of the process is to help people reestablish a firm foundation financially and spiritually. We want people to be able to live a life and not return to homelessness," McConnell said.

This year, the program is emphasizing the importance of leadership.

"We're empowering our guests to have a 'help your brother' attitude," McConnell said. "When you can lead a group in a positive way, not just yourself, that is a big step."

In the future, Crossroads hopes to establish a vocational program and a scholarship fund.

By establishing a long-term change for residents, the center will be able to sustain its services into the future. This includes long-term help from volunteers.

"For example, a marketing major at the college could work with us on promoting our thrift store," McConnell said. "We need someone to come in and ask 'if I were shopping at the thrift store, what would make me want to come back?'"