Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) will be meeting next week with Steven Banks, the Commissioner of the New York City Human Resources Administration, to address numerous issues regarding food stamps, in particular constituents’ difficulties in receiving re-certifications on their food stamp applications in a timely manner. The meeting follows Assemblyman Hikind’s calling upon the commissioner last night to address numerous complaints from community members as well as his own staff regarding the F22 Food Stamp Center’s apparent lack of attention to the matter.

“I’ve known Commissioner Banks for many years and was not the least bit surprised to see how quickly he is willing to personally address this important matter,” said Hikind. “Food stamps are a vital government program that many New Yorkers rely upon. If they are entitled to these benefits, people need to be able to rely upon the system and the people who run it. They shouldn’t have to fear loss of benefits and an inability to feed their family because of a breakdown in the system. I’m looking forward to my meeting with Commissioner Banks who I am certain will set things straight quickly.”

Yesterday, Assemblyman Hikind noted that for quite some time his office staff and he had been receiving complaints from constituents regarding their inability to re-certify their SNAP benefits via the Food Stamp Office located at 2865 W. 8th St. #F22 in Coney Island. The re-certification process allows for re-certification by phone, but Hikind received numerous complaints that the date and time that they were given (via mail) to expect a call from HRA is often ignored and no call is ever received. Nor do they receive a call if they are fortunate enough to receive a follow up date by mail. The result is the Food Stamps Office then closes their cases claiming that the recipients of the services were unavailable.

(YWN Desk – NYC)