Last week, homeless shelters throughout King County received devastating news: The federal government had cut roughly $1.5 million in funds dedicated to emergency food and shelter programs in the county. The sudden cut hit SHARE/WHEEL, King County's largest indoor shelter provider, especially hard. The non-profit announced today that it will be forced to close its 15 indoor shelters next week without an emergency donation of $44,000 dollars.

"A week from now we’ll be out of bus tickets—that’s our biggest budget expenditure," explained a SHARE/WHEEL employee who asked to remain anonymous because they weren't authorized to speak on the matter. "Without tickets, people can’t get to and from our shelters. That means we shut down."

The closures would affect over 500 homeless people in King County who rely on the indoor shelters and two outdoor tent cities that SHARE/WHEEL operates. Apparently, the organization is lobbying the city of Seattle and United Way of King County for emergency funds. Neither group has yet returned calls for comment.