FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tina Harnett
September 20, 2004 Healthy Androscoggin
Phone: (207) 795-5990
Fax: (207) 795-5992
Auburn Housing Authority Third in the Nation to go smoke-free
(Auburn, Maine) Auburn Public Housing Authority recently passed a policy that will make all their units smoke-free. Through a multi-step process which includes grandfathering in existing tenants who smoke, the Auburn Public Housing Authority has created a scenario where, eventually, all tenants can live free of second-hand smoke.
The policy states that all residents, family members, guests and invitees, excepting those current residents who smoke, shall refrain from smoking in their apartments, Auburn Housing Authority buildings, or on exterior grounds within 25 feet of the buildings,
including common areas.
Rick Whiting, Executive Director, says “Auburn Housing Authority looks forward to
the eventual elimination of all smoking from its buildings, resulting in healthier, happier residents and lower maintenance costs. Because of the difficulty of breaking this vicious addiction, existing residents who smoke may continue to do so, but we are hopeful that this action will encourage them to quit smoking, extend their lives, and remain valued
residents for a long time to come.”
The policy change is supported by State and Federal laws including the Fair Housing Act (FHA) or Housing and Urban Development (HUD). “Currently there is no HUD policy, by statute, regulation, handbook or otherwise that restricts landlords from adopting a prohibition of smoking in common areas or in individual units” writes Chief Counselor of HUD in 2003.
In addition to the legal protection from state and federal laws supporting smoke-free housing, banning cigarette smoking reduces maintenance and repair of smoke damage to rental properties. Complexes which allow smoking in units/buildings must deal with the tar in cigarettes clinging to every surface in a unit, potential burns in the carpet and a lingering tobacco odor; all of which cost additional dollars when it comes to tenant turnover. One landlord in Turner was surprised to learn from a Healthy Androscoggin survey that it was legal for her to ban smoking in her apartments and said “If I had only known I wouldn’t have two apartments with ‘yellow’ walls to clean and paint this month.” Cigarettes are also the leading cause of household fires and one reason that owners can save up to 10% on their property insurance if they instill a smoke-free policy.
Public housing officials are concerned about their tenants’ health with good reason. According to Bonnie Bickford of the American Cancer Society, “secondhand smoke contains more than 40 substances which are know to cause cancer in humans, and for which there is no safe level of exposure. Each year, about 3,000 nonsmoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke can also affect nonsmokers by causing eye irritation, headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, ear infections, coughing, wheezing, increased mucus production, and asthma."
Interest in the policy change originated from Healthy Androscoggin, a local public health coalition. “After fielding many phone calls from tenants and landlords it seemed that a gap existed between smoke-free housing needs and wants and what is actually available. This knowledge drove us to implement a mass survey among Lewiston and Auburn public tenants and Androscoggin County private landlords. The results of this survey showed us that our inclination about a gap was very real” said Tina Harnett, Director of Healthy Androscoggin.
In January 2002, Healthy Androscoggin mailed short surveys to 850 public housing tenants in Lewiston and Auburn asking if cigarette smoke bothers them and, if they had the choice, would they choose to live in a smoke-free complex. Almost half of the surveys were returned and, even though 17.6 percent of respondents live with smokers, 76.4 percent of tenants say they would choose to live in a smoke-free complex, 48.2 percent say cigarette smoke from other units bother them and nearly half wanted more information on smoke-free environments. One tenant complained she is bothered by cigarette smoke coming through the bathroom vent from other apartments, and a tenant at Great Falls Esplanade said she hoped the public health survey “will help rid the Esplanade of the stench and polluted air.” It’s not enough, this tenant said, to prohibit smoking indoors and permit it on balconies because the smoke “flows right into other apartments,” especially during the summer.
There is an increasing trend toward smoke-free housing across the nation. This trend is partially based upon tenant surveys completed in Maine, Minnesota and California; all of which the vast majority of respondents desire smoke-free housing. “When up to three-quarters of a population is responding that they would prefer a healthier environment that also saves the landlord and/or City money, its time to act” says Harnett of Healthy Androscoggin. This trend is recognized and approved of by public health officials nationwide. "The American Lung Association of Maine commends the Auburn Housing Authority for placing a high priority on the health of their tenants. By making their housing smoke-free, they have taken a courageous step that challenges landlords throughout the nation to follow their lead."
For more information about establishing smoke-free policies contact Healthy Androscoggin at (207) 795-5990. Healthy Androscoggin is a community coalition that works to promote good health through supporting tobacco free lifestyles, encouraging physical activity and promoting healthy eating. Funded, in part, with tobacco settlement money from the Fund for a Healthy Maine through the PartnershipFor A Tobacco-Free Maine, Bureau of Health, Department of Human Services.