Smoke-Free Public Housing?

It’s a possibility. In 2009 and 2010, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued notices urging public housing authorities (PHAs) and owners and management agents of HUD multi-family housing rental assistance programs (e.g., Section 8), respectively, to implement non-smoking policies in some or all of their public housing units or properties (see NOTICE: PIH-2009- 21 (HA) and NOTICE: H 2010-21). HUD’s notices cite the adverse effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke.

Toward that end, several cities, including Boston, Detroit, Portland, San Antonio, and Seattle, have adopted or are considering partial or complete public housing non-smoking policies. A complete ban went into effect in Milford in November 2010. And New Haven may also be moving closer to a smoke-free policy. According to a recent article in the New Haven Independent, the city’s public health director is in conversations with the PHA to promote non-smoking policies in its properties.

Like smoking bans in other public places, such as parks and beaches, public housing bans often ignite controversy. Proponents often argue a ban protects non-smoking residents’ health and that without one; they would have to go to extreme measures, like relocating, to avoid second-hand smoke. Opponents often argue that bans infringe on individual liberties and that residents should have the freedom to smoke in their own apartment.