BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A homeless shelter in Bellingham is nearing capacity as the weather continues to be dangerously chilly.

Lighthouse Mission Ministries says in a release on Monday, Feb. 3, that their facility on F Street is near capacity.

Lighthouse Mission Ministries CEO Hans Erchinger Davis says the facility currently has 234 beds under regular conditions and 60 beds for emergency overnight shelter. Another 15 to 20 beds can also be added during severe weather and based on staffing.

Due to staffing limitations, the facility cannot open the behavioral health dorms which would bring the number of beds up to 300 in the facility.

Erchinger-Davis adds that they keep residents on-site during the day over the course of the cold weather but cannot bring in those seeking shelter only during the day. He also attributes that limitation to staffing shortages from budgetary issues.

Erchinger-Davis says that Lighthouse Mission Ministries owes 1.9 million on the new facility in addition to whatever funding they can receive after selling the Willows Inn property.