(Page 2 of 2)
"It was only through legal representation that [several families] have been able to get a roof over their heads by the end of the week," Banks said. "As the second week of the policy now begins, we're going to continue to monitor the situation and take action where appropriate."
Although the policy change has led some to recall the harsher climate of the Emergency Assistance Unit and the Giuliani years, Hess rejects such comparisons wholesale.
"There’s not been any police action whatsoever. There’s not been any heavy-handedness," he said. "This is in no way an effort to turn families out in the street that don't have a place to go."
Hess and Banks are among those expected to testify before the City Council's general welfare committee this Wednesday in a special hearing on the policy change called by Brooklyn City Councilman Bill de Blasio, the committee chair.
