LUMBERTON — Residents of apartments managed by the Lumberton Housing Authority will get their first notice of the new no-smoking policy later this month.
The policy, which goes into effect July 31, is mandated by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The policy bans smoking inside all housing and community buildings and within 25 feet of all public housing buildings.
Housing authority administrators are planning well in advance to implement the new policy, said Adrian Lowery, deputy executive director.
“We’re being proactive, and we will offer services to people who want to quit smoking,” Lowery said. “For every unit we rehabilitate, we will have the no-smoking policy in place.”
The Housing authority has 729 apartment units, and 256 of them were damaged by Hurricane Matthew and the floodwaters the storm generated when it struck in October 2016. Eleven damaged units have been rehabilitated, and work is underway on more units.
“Every no-smoking program is unique to each community,” Lowery said. “We are looking at housing agencies who already have no-smoking policies.”
Lumberton has examined a variety of policies from different sized communities, including Goldsboro, Charlotte, Boone and Boston. Pembroke Housing Authority already has implemented a no-smoking policy, and Robeson County is poised to implement its policy.
Policies vary. Some allow e-cigarettes, but Lumberton will ban them because of their nicotine content.
Enforcement is another very important policy area.
“Again, we are looking at the pros and cons of what other agencies are doing,” Lowery said. “We know it’s going to be difficult for a smoker who has lived in a Housing Authority unit for 10 or 15 years. We’re identifying agencies and programs that can help them.”
The purpose of HUD’s no-smoking policy is threefold, said Steven Harrell, chief operating officer for the Lumberton Housing Authority.
“First, there is a cost savings for maintenance,” Harrell said. “The policy will save on repainting interiors and replacing HVAC duct work. Second, we’ll improve fire safety. And, there is the health of the residents, both smokers and non-smokers.”
“It’s going to be interesting,” Lowery said. “We have to operate by HUD policies.”
In a place where the economy once was intimately connected to growing tobacco, smoking is taking another hit, but health is getting another boost, as Lowery notes.
“The ultimate goal of the Lumberton Housing Authority is to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing,” he said.