Rainbow House, one of Chicago’s largest domestic violence shelters, may permanently close. When the shelter closed in May, it was only supposed to be for a month. Employees said their goal in that time was to do some extra fund-raising. Now many of them have been told to look for new jobs. 16 of the 23 staff members have been laid off.

Cardelle Spangler, a member of the Rainbow House Board of Directors, says they have not decided if the shelter will reopen.

“We have a long way to go. We are still certainly in a fiscal crisis and we still looking for additional funds to help us out of this period,” she says.

Spangler says the organization will continue to offer counseling and housing referrals for battered women.

A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence says Chicago is already short on beds in shelters for women and children. She says losing Rainbow House will make it that much harder to find room for victims of abuse.