City to Faith-based Shelters: Stop!

I've been hearing about this for a while now but didn't think they were going to actually do it. I don't quite understand the rationale but apparently NYC is ordering churches to stop providing beds to homeless people. Here's the story I got from 1010wins.com:


NYC Churches Ordered Not to Shelter Homeless

NEW YORK (AP) -- City officials have ordered 22 New York churches to stop providing beds to homeless people.

With temperatures well below freezing early Saturday, the churches must obey a city rule requiring faith-based shelters to be open at least five days a week -- or not at all.

Arnold Cohen, president of the Partnership for the Homeless, a nonprofit that serves as a link with the city, says he had to tell the churches they no longer qualify.

He says hundreds of people now won't have a place to sleep.

The Department of Homeless Services says the city offers other shelters with the capacity to accept all those who have been sleeping in the churches.