"With the discussion I heard, they were going to affect some sort of modification," said Boosel, executive director of Mercer County Housing Authority.

But support for the so-called "one strike" policy is good news for authorities looking to rid themselves of reputations of harboring drug users.

"It has helped," Boosel said, acknowledging the authority has occasionally evicted tenants for involvement in drugs. Boosel couldn't say offhand how many residents have been evicted under the policy.

"It has given the housing authority a tool to address a problem in the whole community. Before the one-strike policy, we were basically defenseless."

Boosel said the authority tries to have a heart about enforcing the most controversial aspect of the policy: Evicting families when one member is involved in drug activity in public housing.

"We try to step back when there's a grandparent or a parent involved," he said. "We look at the circumstances and don't come down as hard as we could."

Boosel said aggressive enforcement of the policy on tenants not directly involved in drugs can be "a little harsh sometimes."

The authority is much tougher when the tenant is the one involved in drug activity, he said.

Tenants are told of the policy when they apply for public housing, and it's part of the lease, he said.