Let $P_0$ be a minimal parabolic subgroup of a connected, reductive group $G$ over a $p$-adic field $k$. Let $P$ be a parabolic subgroup containing $P_0$ with Levi decomposition $P = MN$. Let $N^-$ be a group such that $P^- = MN^-$ is opposite to $P$.
Let $\pi$ be a smooth, irreducible representation of $M$, and consider a function $f$ in the space of the induced representation $\sigma = \operatorname{Ind}_{P}^G \pi $. Then $f$ is locally constant, and there is a compact set $Z$ such that if $f(x) \neq 0$, then $px \in Z$ for some $p \in P$, i.e. $f$ is compactly supported modulo $P$.
I have seen in a few talks and papers the practice of fixing a function $f \in \sigma$ which vanishes outside of the open set $PN^-$. I was wondering a couple of things:
1 . Are are there "many" such functions? How do we know that they exist at all?
2 . If $f$ vanishes outside $PN^-$, since $N^-$ is the union of its open compact subgroups, is it possible to find a compact open subgroup $N_0$ of $N^-$ such that if $f(x) \neq 0$, then $px \in N_0$ for some $p \in P$?
Question 2 seems like a natural thing to expect, but I could not prove it. I thought I might take the image in $P \backslash G$ of the support of $f$, which is compact, and cover it by the images of the open compact subgroups $N_0$. The problem is that I don't think the images of $N_0$ are open in $P \backslash G$, since they are not open in $G$.