The old North Neighborhood Library building, closed in 2016, will be replaced by affordable townhomes. File photo by Stephanie Rivera.

The Long Beach City Council approved an agreement Tuesday that will allow nonprofit workers to operate a temporary shelter at the North Neighborhood Library until spring next year.

The contract extension formalizes an agreement that allowed the shelter to open earlier than usual this year, on Oct. 1, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Long Beach Winter Shelter offers the homeless a place to stay inside during the colder weather and provides food and safety. Shelter participants can only access the Winter Shelter via the Winter Shelter bus, which will make daily pick-ups at the Long Beach Multi-Service Center, according to city officials.

The shelter will be open daily through March 31, with the option to extend through Nov. 1 next year if needed. Nonprofit Volunteers of America Los Angeles will operate the shelter.

Last month, the city unveiled the new Atlantic Farms Bridge Housing Community, a year-round community that helps match people to housing options as they become available, with supportive services to help individuals move into permanent housing as quickly as possible. At full capacity, the housing complex offers 120 beds, but the coronavirus pandemic has prompted the city to reduce the capacity to 100, officials previously told the Post.

Los Angeles County also operates a transitional housing program called Project Home Key location in Long Beach, which is a 102-room transitional housing location that is due to open in February next year.