BHA smoking ban shows no problems so far, officials say

Housing officials said the ban on smoking in Boston public housing that took effect Sunday has not shown signs of any problems with the initiative.

The Boston Housing Authority introduced the non-smoking policy in 2011 in an effort to improve the health of residents in public housing, said BHA spokeswoman Lydia Agro. The initiative makes Boston the largest U.S. city to ban smoking within public housing.

“We have many residents who, for health reasons, ask for transfers,” she said. “They are living next door to or in close proximity to people who smoke, and cigarette smoke is really hard to contain, especially in a multi-unit building.”

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Public Affairs Officer Rhonda Siciliano said HUD supported the ban due to the health risks of smoking.

“HUD encourages all housing authorities to become smoke-free,” she said. “The initiative came from the Boston Housing Authority to implement this ban to protect the health of their residents.”

Siciliano said numerous studies show second-hand smoke can be deadly. He noted that in 2006 700 people died as a direct result of smoking fires in homes.

Agro said she is confident the ban will be effective, as it has support of many public housing residents.

“Prior to implementing the smoke-free housing policy, BHA surveyed all public housing residents in the City of Boston,” she said. “According to the survey results, approximately 90 percent of residents, both smokers and non-smokers, are in favor of smoke-free housing at BHA.”

Smoke-free housing was previously tested at a small number of BHA public housing sites.

Washington-Beech in Roslindale and Old Colony in South Boston were established as non-smoking areas after renovation, Agro said.

Meena Carr, a resident of Washington-Beech and a non-smoker, said the transition was difficult at first.

“It wasn’t initially smooth, but when you educate people about the effects of smoking, people — even smokers — they all agree that we shouldn’t have smoking to protect everyone’s health,” she said.

Jonathan Donahue, regional director for Trinity Management, an agency that is responsible for the Washington-Beech development, said the ban has been successful.

“People self-police the ban, and we haven’t had a problem yet,” he said. “Everyone seems to be going along with the program for the time being, so it is very promising.”

Agro said the ban should not dissuade people from applying for housing.

“I have not heard anything about people not wanting to apply for those locations,” she said. “Many, many people desire smoke-free housing.”

The BHA individual building managers will serve as monitors, she said.

Argo said there will not be any installation of smoke-monitoring equipment in the rooms, but action will be based on complaints or if managers have firsthand knowledge of the smoking.

“They are not going to be going out of their way checking peoples apartments for smoking,” she said.

Agro also said the BHA has established a $250 fine for each violation, and eviction is possible as a result of repeated offenses.

“It is not our goal to evict residents but rather to create a healthy, smoke-free environment for all of our residents,” she said.

Housing developments could experience long-term economic benefits from the ban, according to a May 29 HUD press release.

“Additional paint to cover smoke stains, cleaning of the ducts, replacing stained window blinds or replacing carpets that have been damaged by cigarettes can increase the cost to make a unit occupant ready,” the release stated.

Turnover costs are dramatically increased when smokers vacate their residence, according to the release.

The ban improves the health of Boston residents, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said in an Aug. 29 press release.

“The City of Boston is proud to be on the forefront of having smoke-free living in our public housing,” he said. “All our residents deserve a safe, healthy environment to live and raise their families in.”