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HRA approves smoking ban

Published 10:37am Thursday, October 20, 2011
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The Austin Housing and Redevelopment Authority voted in favor of changing public housing leases, a move that will ban on-property smoking as of Jan. 1, 2012.

The HRA Board approved the lease changes at a meeting Wednesday.

At the meeting, board members reviewed a complaint submitted by a resident of Twin Towers. The resident said in a letter that banning smoking except at designated smoking receptacles is discrimination. The tenant went on to say some public housing tenants have a hard time leaving their apartments because of disabilities.

HRA Executive Director Jim Hurm previously said the change is coming at the prompting of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Housing authorities all over are changing to smoke-free,” Hurm previously said.

Board Chair Marvin Rapinski said the board reviewed the tenant’s comments and they wish him well.

“This makes sense to me,” Rapinski said of the lease changes.

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  • scrawnie

    Landlords always want to impose guidelines on renters. No smoking allowed, ridicioulsy high rent for this area, and anything else they can think of but who goes to these properties to ensure tenants are living in good conditions?? So many landlords DO NOT keep up their properties and they seem to continue to get away with it. I do not rent, but know many people who do. When are we gonna see the City come down on landlords for not doing upkeep on their properties?

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  • scrawnie

    In addition, there are few rental properties that are cheaper than $700/month. How could someone making minimum wage afford that kind of a payment?? Especially since that $700 doesn’t include utilities? I feel sorry for people who do have to rent.

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