Nine King County housing providers — including Seattle Housing Authority, King County Housing Authority, Housing Resources Group and some in Auburn — are developing no-smoking policies for their properties. The clean air transition will benefit residents living in more than 9,000 units across King County.

“This is a major achievement and public health success that will ensure more families have access to safe and healthy living environments,” said Dow Constantine, King County Executive. “Everyone deserves to breathe smoke-free air where they live. Policies like these are an excellent example of how partnerships between local government, housing providers, and other community-based organizations can promote a healthier King County.”

The new policies will prohibit smoking inside buildings, and will also include patios and balconies. The policies do not require that residents quit smoking or prohibit people who smoke from moving in. The policies were adopted with support from Public Health – Seattle & King County and Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW), as part of a larger effort to reduce chronic disease by increasing access to healthy places.

Housing providers underwent a comprehensive planning process in advance of policy implementation, including surveys of residents, meetings with building management and staff, and resident meetings to explain the new policies. In July, properties will officially begin converting units to smoke-free.

In King County, 77 percent of renters prefer smoke-free housing — including over half of people who smoke—yet only 35 percent of renters report that they live in buildings with no-smoking policies. No-smoking policies are on the rise across King County and the nation, and the trend includes low-income, market-rate, and public housing. More than 230 housing authorities in 27 states have already implemented no-smoking policies in some or all of their buildings.

“We are currently drafting new no-smoking policies that will cover more than 3,500 of our units,” said Andrew Lofton, Deputy Executive Director of the Seattle Housing Authority. “In addition to being the right decision for the health of our residents, we expect these new policies to help preserve our property values, save money on cleaning and repair costs, and reduce our risk of cigarette fires.”

Several non-profit and community-based organizations are credited with implementing these policies that address the health and safety of residents in buildings that serve lower-income communities and people of color. For example, the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Against Tobacco is working with Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation Development Association (SCIDpda) and InerIm Housing to make approximately 400 units smoke-free by July 2011.

Residents and property managers interested in making their building smoke-free can visit www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices for information and tools to support the process.