Public housing agency in Pa. bans smoking

Associated Press

ALLENTOWN, Pa.

Residents of public housing in one eastern Pennsylvania city will have to light up outside beginning this week as a smoking ban goes into effect, only the second such ban by a public housing authority in the commonwealth

The Allentown Housing Authority’s ban, which applies to all of its more than 1,200 housing units and common areas, doesn’t bar residents from smoking but requires that they do so at least 10 feet from an entrance at all authority buildings.

Daniel Farrell, authority executive director, told reporters that he believed the ban would be “a win for everyone.”

“This will create a better environment because it will eliminate the problem of secondhand smoke and it will make our buildings safer in respect to fire hazards,” he said. “It also saves the authority money on rehabbing the units when someone leaves.”

An authority survey indicates that 37 percent of residents in the housing units are smokers.