Churches told not to shelter homeless

NEW YORK - Twenty-two churches have stopped providing shelter to homeless New Yorkers - on city orders.

With temperatures below freezing on Saturday, the churches had to follow 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 between city officials and shelters, delivered the news to the churches several weeks ago that that they no longer qualify.