In 2016 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced plans to ban smoking in all subsidized housing. Today that plan has been actualized, according to an article by Caitlin O’Kane for CBS News.
The Obama-era ban was drafted to protect tenants from second-hand smoke and encompasses more than 940,000 homes subsidized by the federal government.
HUD will effectively prohibit cigarette, cigar and pipe usage in all public housing units and common areas. Notably, this includes outdoor areas up to 25 feet from public housing and administrative office buildings, according to the article.
Usage of e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and snuff is permitted, although restrictions might apply depending on location.
Public housing tenants must be informed of the smoking ban in their leases, and violators cannot be evicted for only one instance of smoking.
HUD expects the ban to not only save the agency money, but also keep renters healthy.
From the article:
HUD says about 228,000 public housing units under more than 600 local agencies were already smoke-free, and the new rule wipes out smoking in more than 940,000 other units. The ban is expected to save government housing agencies $153 million a year in repairs and health care costs, including $16 million for costs tied to smoking-related fires, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2014.
