Lancaster County’s homeless community once again has easy access to warm beds at night.

Tenfold opened a temporary homeless shelter Monday night in a garage behind its East King Street building, five months after the county closed its only low-barrier shelter in June.

The nonprofit plans to operate the 50-bed shelter for up to 12 weeks, or until the county’s permanent shelter at Otterbein United Methodist Church on East Clay Street opens in mid-December.

The shelter will operate as a daily low-barrier shelter, so people who want to stay there won't have to meet certain preconditions, such as sobriety. Housing advocates say the need for accessible resources is crucial as the weather gets colder and homelessness rises.

The county’s annual homelessness count in January identified 122 people who were actively living on the streets, out of 597 people total who were identified as homeless.

Despite some uncertainty around shelter funding, Tenfold on Monday announced it had reached its $200,000 fundraising goal just hours before doors opened. Shelter costs include staff, heating, sanitation, portable bathrooms and security.

“The fact that 100% of needed funds for our temporary shelter were raised in just a few days is nothing short of amazing,” Tenfold CEO Shelby Nauman said in a statement.

With all of the funds in place, the nonprofit has closed its donation page. Now, it is accepting volunteers at lanc.news/TenfoldVolunteers.

Also on Monday, Lancaster City Council approved the city’s housing and homelessness emergency declaration that allows Tenfold’s shelter to open immediately. Nauman last week said the nonprofit had to quickly jump into action to respond to a “critical need.”

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