ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – An overcrowded homeless shelter with a long history of building code violations is shutting down this weekend. The Reverend Larry Rice says he will be out of the New Life Evangelistic Center by Sunday evening. The Mayor’S Office says people seeking shelter will be referred to the city-owned Biddle House.

Rice tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he anticipates this will be a temporary shutdown. He plans to continue to work to get the building up to code. Rice has been operating the shelter since 1976 but has been without an occupancy permit for nearly two years. The permit rice had been operating under allowed for an occupancy of 35 people. New Life provides shelter to nearly 200 people per night.

The city revoked the shelter’s permit due to the over-occupancy and building code violations. The city issued a ‘cease and desist’ order in November. The Board of Building Appeals upheld that decision, giving New Life until this weekend to shut down.

Rice challenged the decision, but Thursday, a judge sided with the city and denied Rice’s request to stay open. The affordable housing commission recently approved $214,000 to open two shelters; one for women and children and one for men. Each shelter could house 75 people, but the locations of those shelters have not yet been announced.

Rice is running for Mayor in Tuesday’s election. He says he will be sleeping on the sidewalks Sunday night with those who no longer have a place to sleep after his shelter closes.