NORFOLK, Neb.— In the winter months some are left out in the cold but one northeast Nebraska non-profit is doing something to help.

The Connections Project in Norfolk has entered into a funding agreement with the city to open a temporary warming shelter.

“The warming shelter is just a place that gets people out of the elements, provides a safe place for people to be at night when the temperatures are low,” Executive Director for The Connection Project Rob Barrows said.

The need for the shelter in Norfolk came from the impact from past events like "Project Homeless Connect".

“They serve 800 to 1000 people. Now every one of those people aren't people who are necessarily homeless,” Barrows said. “But when we look at that the city has got a population around 25,000 people, 800 to 1,000 people come out to something like that, even if 10% of those people were actually unhoused people. I mean, that's 80 to 100 people.”

Individuals needing a place to stay will have a warm bed to sleep in. All someone will have to do is be at The Connection Project’s office by 8 P.M. to sign in and will have a place to sleep until 8 A.M. In the morning they can also use the organizations facilities during the day.

The Connections Project is a support facility for individuals recovering from substance use issues or mental health conditions.

Located at 105 East Norfolk Avenue the warming shelter will have two employees staffed at all times and will be able to accommodate 20 people overnight. Even though The Connection Project is running the shelter, rules for both are different.

“So there's no tolerated use of illegal substances or alcohol on the premises or being intoxicated here,” Barrows said. “So that's the only requirement to come over here during the day. But that requirement isn’t there for the warming shelter at night.”

The funding agreement will allow the organization to use up to $25,000 from the city's opioid remediation fund to set up and operate the shelter, though funding will also be coming from other sources.