Rising Demand Strains Homeless Services Across Nebraska
As the need for meals and shelter continues to grow across Nebraska, organizations dedicated to supporting the homeless population are feeling the pressure. From Lincoln to North Platte, service providers report increased demand, which is straining their resources and limiting outreach efforts.
In Lincoln, data indicates a shift in homelessness patterns between 2023 and 2025. While fewer people are unsheltered, the numbers seeking emergency and transitional housing have risen sharply. Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach, a key nonprofit in the city, served over 263,000 meals in 2025, reflecting a nearly 13% increase from the previous year. Pantry visits have more than doubled from January 2025 to January 2026, and onsite meals have risen by 25%.
Matt Talbot now averages 283 meals per day, highlighting the need for more volunteers. “Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do,” Executive Director Alynn Sampson stated. “As more neighbors turn to us for support, we rely on the generosity of volunteer teams to ensure everyone who walks through our doors is met with dignity, compassion, and a warm meal.”
The organization has outlined three ways volunteers can aid their efforts: by providing, preparing, and serving meals; making a $300 donation to cover food expenses while assisting in serving; or supplying side dishes while Matt Talbot staff prepare the main meal.
In Omaha, the Stephen Center faces challenges not from a lack of volunteers but from operating at full capacity in its various programs, including emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing. Chief Experience Officer Elizabeth Robbins shared that in 2025, they turned away approximately 5,200 requests for shelter services due to space constraints.
“We are always at capacity in all three of our programs,” Robbins stated. The emergency shelter, particularly during extreme cold, struggles to accommodate the need despite adding overflow cots. The point-in-time counts show a steady rise in homelessness in Omaha since 2020, which Robbins attributes partly to the end of COVID-era funding. “I feel like this is an aftereffect of COVID,” she said, noting that many individuals are losing housing placements as pandemic-related financial support wanes.
Robbins emphasized the critical shortage of affordable and low-income housing. “We need so many more affordable housing units, not just affordable, but low-income housing units. We serve a ton of people on a fixed income, and it’s just difficult for them to find placement when their income is fixed,” she explained.
Looking forward, the Stephen Center plans to expand its facilities, with a summer groundbreaking for a grant-funded project that will double its capacity for men and women and triple the capacity for families.
In North Platte, Ashley Lewis, executive director of The Connection, reported similar pressures in rural areas. The nonprofit operates an emergency shelter and supportive services, along with a thrift store offering clothing and vouchers. Though the shelter has been near capacity, recent weeks have seen success in placing residents into affordable housing.
“We have been really, really full for quite a while,” Lewis noted. “And now in the recent weeks, we’ve had some really good luck getting people in the housing, which is obviously beneficial.” The organization provides three meals daily to residents and the wider community.
Lewis highlighted the persistent challenge of finding affordable housing. “We have been struggling for a very long time, just not being able to find affordable housing,” she said. North Platte has prioritized housing availability, with efforts like the “Shot in the Arm” program, which has led to the construction of hundreds of units.
The Connection is set to further alleviate housing issues with a 44-unit supportive housing complex, Thriving Connections Apartments, expected to be completed this spring, following its groundbreaking last fall.
