Identifying need and creating tools to engage communities around smoke-free housing

Introduction: With past outreach focused on multifamily housing property owners, a campaign to promote smoke-free housing in New York City was not effectively reaching apartment residents, non-profit housing providers, and tenants' advocacy groups. In 2012, the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City (the Coalition) partnered with two community-based organizations, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) and the Community Service Society of New York (CSSNY), to expand the reach of their collective smoke-free housing work. This presentation outlines crucial components of the adopted strategy as well as recommended activities and challenges to working with these groups when advocating for smoke-free housing in one's community.

Methods: AAFE, a non-profit housing provider, worked with tenants in two of its buildings to go smoke-free, and documented the entire process in a case study. CSSNY, established 170 years ago to advocate on behalf of low-income New Yorkers, created a smoke-free housing guide tailored for apartment residents both to fill a void of information and counter misinformation.

Results: Newly generated interest for going smoke-free, better relations with tenants' rights groups, and higher demand for technical assistance involving the created resources. Interested residents have improved access to information and suggested approaches for talking with their landlord and neighbors.

Conclusions: These activities have enhanced smoke-free housing efforts in New York City and can be replicated around the country. Non-profit housing providers, apartment residents, and tenants' rights groups are all critical to collaborate with and bring on board any campaign with the goal of increasing smoke-free housing in a community.