'No smoking' coming to York housing authority properties

Housing Authority of the City of York to eliminate smoking in buildings.

http://www.ydr.com/ci_21654474

By TIM STONESIFER 

Daily Record/Sunday News

York, PA - York's housing authority listened and made sure residents had a chance to voice their opinions, board members said.

Then the York Housing Authority voted unanimously Thursday night to prohibit smoking in the more than 1,000 authority-owned apartments and on surrounding property.

The ban takes effect for new residents on Oct. 1, with anyone who signs a new lease forbidden to smoke in an apartment, or within 25 feet of the building. Current residents of the authority's 1,092 apartments will have until Jan. 1 before the ban kicks in, according W. Craig Zumbrun, authority deputy executive director.

Housing authority employees also will have to abide by those rules, effective Oct. 1, according to a separate resolution passed unanimously.

"We've taken their (residents') input into consideration, and that's why this is being phased in," authority executive director Richard Fox said. "They have three months to prepare."

The no-smoking issue heated up in early summer, with more than 70 angry residents showing up at a meeting with the authority. Faced with a possible smoking ban, members of the group cited government by the people, and their basic rights.

But housing authorities across the country have been enacting smoking bans for the past several years, with the encouragement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2012, housing authorities in Minneapolis and Annapolis, Md., joined more than 30 California municipalities that already banned smoking in public housing units, according to reports in June.

And this week the housing authority said the federal government continues to encourage such bans.

"HUD is really pushing this," said board solicitor David Schaumann. "It might not be in the majority of (public) housing right now, but in a few years it's going to be the majority."

Still, at least one board member expressed concern over the program implementation and rules, which include handing down a lease violation if a tenant or guest is found smoking in the smoke-free area. Residents also can request a temporary release, bringing with it both a reprieve of several months from the rule, and more paperwork.

"I feel like it's going to be very time-consuming for our managers," said board chair Marion Oberdick. "This is not going to be an exact science. There's going to be a certain amount of problems here."

Zumbrun estimated Friday the ban will affect about 10 to 15 percent of current tenants, or a little more than 100. The impact, though, should be positive, he said.

"We're looking at promoting better health here," he said. "Hopefully, we can start improving building air."

Also of interest

Usage of tobacco products: Rooted in York County's past.

@timstonesifer; 717-771-2032  

You do realize that the people that live here at Broad Park Manor were once tax payers themselves, before they retired or became disabled and unable to work! 

You will be in this position too at some point! People that live here can not afford purchasing cigarettes by the pack. We roll our own at a largley reduced price.

I receive disability benefits since I can no longer work, I used to drive bus for Community Transit, now Rabbit Transit. I paid my fair share of taxes. 

I used to have a trailer at Lawsons trailer park, but they sold the property and I didn't have the money to move the trailer. I had no other choice but to move into public housing. Just because we are disabled or retired doesn't mean we don't have the same rights and freedoms as others. 

I will continue to smoke in my apartment. We all need to rebel against this, and overwhelm the system with this issue. 

They also say that the burning of incense is still permitted, as though the smoke from this is any less adverse to our health, while including e-cigs in their banned items, which help in quitting. 

I consider this an invaision of our privacy and rights to do what we please in the privacy of our own homes. Our home is not a place of employment where workers have to work in a smokey enviroment. The people that maintain the building might be in my apartment 10 minutes per year, if that! 

They want to fine individuals 250.00 for each violation of this policy on top of the rent paid by the tenants. 

This will cause an overdraft on the bank accounts of those who pay their rent by automatic withdrawl of rent from their bank accounts, causing most of these residents to lose their housing in the first violation. Even if they do continue to have the ability to survive the first round of violations, on the 3rd violation and loss of a total of 750.00 in fines the person will be evicted and left with no place to go. Many of these individuals are elderly and handicap! 

What will you do when your left in this terrible situation and you have no where to go? And YES you will be in this position at some point in your life! Then who will speak up for you? 

I have been smoking since I was 15. They hooked my father on smoking in the military. The government gave them cigarettes for free in Korea, he smoked till the day he died. I learned to smoke from him, so indirectly you can say the government got me hooked as well. 

We paid our taxes all our lives while we were working to have something to fall back on when we became unable to work or retired, such is the place where we are living! Leave us be till we die!