SMOKEFREE MULTI-UNIT HOUSING: CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

Presentation by:

Matthew Competiello

Program Manager

American Lung Association

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

We will breathe easier when the air in everyAmerican community is clean and healthy.

 We will breathe easier when people are free from the addictivegrip of tobacco and the debilitating effects of lung disease. 

We will breathe easier when the air in our public spaces andworkplaces is clear of secondhand smoke.

We will breathe easier when children no longerbattle airborne poisons or fear asthma attacks. 

Until then, we are fighting for air.

TOUCH Initiative

Transforming Our Community’s Health

• Broward County’s TOUCH initiative is the only Florida funded Community Transformation Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’s) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• Funded under the Affordable Care Act to support public health efforts to reduce chronic diseases, promote healthier lifestyles, reduce health disparities, and control health care spending.

• Award of $1.76 million a year for five (5) years (2011-2016).• A collaborative effort among more than 20 community organization partners and 10

coalitions coordinated by Broward Regional Health Planning Council.• Four main focus areas:

• Tobacco Free Living• Active Living and Healthy Eating• High Quality Clinical and Preventive Services• Healthy and Safe Physical Environment

What Does Smokefree Mean?

• Has a written policy restricting smoking: Inside unitsOn balconies and patio areas In breezeways, staircases, and

hallways Common areas

• Not a one size fits all policy.Smokefree housing policies should

reflect the culture of your community.

Clearing the Air on Smokefree Policies• Smokers are welcome to reside in a smokefree

community.Smoking is restricted, not the smoker.

• Not a mandate to get people to quit smoking. • Smokefree policies are designed to protect

nonsmoking community residents from secondhand smoke while also protecting the building from damage.

Update: according to a July 2013 HUD review, nationwide there are at least 400 Public Housing Authorities with some part of a Smokefree Policy. This represents over 132,000 smoke free units throughout the country and is an increase of 227% over the past 3 years.

Smokefree Affordable and Public Housing in Florida

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Waterway Village Apartments in Aventura

Catholic Housing Management

• Operates low-income elderly housing in South Florida.

• Provides housing for 2,400 tenants at 15 properties.

• Adopted smoke-free housing policy effective Oct. 2013 for all its properties.

Why Do I Want A Smokefree Policy For My Building?

• Market demand for smoke-free housing is high. • It makes financial sense. • Secondhand smoke travels from unit to unit.• Secondhand smoke can cause tension between

residents and owners.• Smoke-free housing policies are legal. • It’s easy to do and easy to enforce.

High Market Demand • Nonsmoking is the norm.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate: 18% of American adults are “smokers.” 17.5% of Florida adults smoke.16% of Broward County adults smoke.

Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2007 to 2008

Smoking In The Home Is No Longer The Norm

• Even among smokers, the consensus is that no one wants “to live in an ashtray.”

• 2 out of 3 Florida adult smokers always or usually go outside to smoke.*

• Only 1 out of every 10 Florida adult smokers never go outside to smoke.* *Data comes from 4,000 randomized individuals selected by telephone (2006 Florida Adult Tobacco Survey)

Smokefree Multi-Unit Housing Has Support Among Smokers

• 1/3 of all Broward County smokers want a comprehensive smokefree policy for their residence. Among nonsmokers, this percentage was higher (80.3%).*

• Almost half of smokers are bothered by outside tobacco smoke entering into their home.*

• 60% of smokers would welcome a smoke-free policy if it went into effect.* Data comes from Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing Survey Report for TOUCH. September 2012.

Smokefree Homes Are More Attractive • According to the National Apartment Association

smokefree housing policies add value.• NY Times suggests same fact…

“Agents who have assisted people selling or shopping for everything from starter homes to Victorian mansions agree: as the number of public places in which a person can smoke has shrunk, so has the number of home buyers who are even willing to consider a house with smoking in its past.” SOURCE: (New York Times, "Real Estate & Secondhand Smoke: On Tobacco Road, It's a Tougher Sell," February 8, 2004.)

Realtors See Smokefree Homes With Added Value

• “Cigarette Smokers Have Tough Time Selling.” Denver Post, Douglas Brown (June 29, 2006). Reposted in REALTOR Magazine June 30, 2006. “Smells don’t sell.”

• “Smoky, Smelly Houses Don’t Sell.” The San Diego Union-Tribune, Emmet Pierce (Oct. 15, 2006). Reposted in REALTOR Magazine Oct. 18, 2006 “If you can smell it, you can’t sell it.”

The Economics Support Smokefree

• It costs about 3 to 7 times MORE MONEY to renovate a unit that allows smoking.

Costs to Rehabilitate a Unit Where Smoking is Prohibited vs. a Unit Where Smoking is Allowed

Non-Smoker Light Smoker Heavy Smoker

Paint $168 $222 $478

Flooring $50 $942 $1,422

Appliances $60 $75 $489

Bathroom $40 $60 $400

General Cleaning $240 $480 $720

Total $558 $1,779 $3,509

Data reflects surveys from housing authorities and subsidized housing facilities in New England. Collected and reported by Smoke-Free Housing New England, 2009

Tobacco Smoke Knows No Walls • Multifamily housing units are not designed to contain air.• According to the American Society of Heating,

Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), smokefree policies are: “The only complete solution to the problem of secondhand

smoke” (June 30, 2005).

• Indoor air quality studies have shown that up to 60% of the air you breath in any one room may come from somewhere else in the building.

Protect Your Property & Residents• 93% of residential building smoking-related fires are

nonconfined.*• 1 out of 4 deaths caused by home smoking materials is

not the smoker.**• Nearly half (45%) of all deaths caused by home smoking

material fires were age 65 or older.** • National Fire Prevention Council recommends: “If you

smoke, smoke outside.”____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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*U.S. Fire Administration “Smoking related fires in residential buildings” (2008-10).

** According to annual reports by the National Fire Prevention Council.

Where Will Your Tenants Go If This Happens To Them?

Lake Park Gardens in Plantation

“Smoking in bed starts fire that displaces seven families.” Sun-Sentinel, November 12, 2012.

Are Smokefree Housing Policies Legal?• Legal research demonstrates smokefree housing

policies are legal in every state in the U.S.• Smokefree policies are not discriminatory.• Fair Housing laws may apply when secondhand smoke

infiltrates a nonsmoking unit. E.g., In Re: HUD and Kirk & Guilford Management Corp. and

Park Towers Apts. (1998).

• HUD-assisted housing may need to “grandfather” existing tenants until their leases renew.

Developing Your No Smoking Policy• Include a smokefree lease addendum with all

new construction.• For existing buildings:

1. Set a certain date for all units to be smoke-free (usually 6 months – 1 year in advance)

2. Include smoke-free lease addendum at time of lease renewal

3. Include a policy in all new lease agreements.

Strategy for Going Smokefree• Develop community partners

Local nonprofits, Department of Health, and Tobacco Free Partnerships

Contact college and universities for survey assistanceLegal Aid Society, fire departments, etc.

• Survey property managers & tenants • Set a timeframe for change• Inform residents of benefits• Update all leases and inform those on waiting list• Enforce & promote the policy

How To Enforce Your Nonsmoking Rule• Have a smokefree lease agreement• Advertise units as smokefree• Post signs• Inform residents that if they smoke in their units,

they will be held financially responsible• Give advance notice to current tenants and

those on your waiting list• Enforcement methods (see notes below)

Tips on Talking to Your Tenants

• Might want to go beyond your normal procedures in announcing rule changes.

• The issue is about protecting nonsmokers from secondhand smoke, not getting smokers to quit.

• Secondhand smoke travels between the units.• Fire risk • Health considerations of nonsmokers, the lung

impaired, pregnant, children, and pets.

Other Considerations• Evictions are rare

Nationwide, Lung Association has not seen massive evictions or challenges.

• Accommodate smokersMake sure signs for smoking-designated areas read

“Smoker’s Haven”

• Might want to try piloting a smoke-free property.• Promote smoke-free policies

Resources On Our Website• HUD Toolkit • Sample Smokefree Lease Addendum• Sample Announcement Letter and Survey• Legal cases involving secondhand smoke• Trainings and PowerPoints• Sample tenant complaint form• Listing of smokefree properties• Our website: www.smokefreebroward.com

Tobacco-Free Broward is working to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke by implementing tobacco-free parks, tobacco-free college campuses, and smoke-free multi-unit housing complexes.

Help support making Broward County a place where we can all breathe easy!

Scan the QR code above or go to facebook and search for “Tobacco Free Broward”

Conclusion

• The issue is about protecting nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.

• Like all new changes, there are challenges but the opportunities and benefits outweigh the obstacles.

• There are community partners – the American Lung Association is one of them!

www.TouchBroward.org

Matthew CompetielloProgram Manager

American Lung AssociationServing South Florida

2020 South Andrews Ave.Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316(954) 727-0908 Direct Line

(954) 524-3162 Fax mcompetiello@lungfla.org

Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kamalie BelizaireProgram Coordinator

American Lung AssociationServing South Florida

2020 South Andrews Ave.Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316(954) 524-4659 Direct Line

(954) 524-3162 Fax kbelizaire@lungfla.org