The New Orleans Mission, a massive homeless shelter, is closing its doors for the summer.
Officials from the mission say the closure is due to lack of funding. Friday will be its last night open. Officials hope to reopen the facility, which employs nine full-time workers, by Sept 15.
WWL-TV reports the mission houses between 160 to 180 people per night, and serves roughly 12,000 meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner — each month, along with seeing up to 80 homeless visitors daily.
With only $3,000 in the bank for operating costs, staff members say the mission is unable to meet the $50,000 to $60,000 monthly operating expenses. The mission is privately funded, and officials say it's traditionally difficult to raise funds to run the shelter in the summer.