Homeless in Arizona

Who says American hasn't turned into a socialist country!!!!!

On the other hand even if Phoenix gives dirt cheep housing to thousands of poor people I think it is outrageous that they micro-manage these people lives and tell them what they can and can't do in the homes they give them.

What's next will the royal rules of the city of Phoenix require that these folks hang a photo of Mayor Greg Stanton and Jesus in the home???

I suspect the real reason the city of Phoenix provides dirt cheep housing to 1,835 families, is because the Mayor and Phoenix city council realizes that they get 1,835 votes from these people when it comes time for re-election.

That's the same reason the Mayor and Phoenix city council has a tendency to shovel pay raises to the Phoenix cops. Because at election time they can get 3,000+ votes from the piggies in exchange for raising police pay.

Yes, I agree smoking sucks. But having your life micro-managed by a government nanny sucks more.

Source

Phoenix officials want to stop smoking in public housing

Betty Reid, The Republic | azcentral.com 8:57 a.m. MST November 26, 2014

Phoenix housing officials want the City Council to extinguish smoking in public housing over concerns about damage to property and health ailments caused by secondhand smoke.

Phoenix Housing Department officials plan to add a smoke-free policy to 1,835 units by 2016. The initial projected cost — about $25,000 — will finance the construction of outdoor shaded smoking areas, said William Emerson, the housing department's deputy housing director.

"Our concern is primarily the health and safety of our current and future residents," Emerson said.

The nation's sixth-largest city is following national smoke-free trends, he said.

Smoking bans are common at restaurants, work sites, in airplanes and other public places.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began to strongly encourage smoke-free policies for homes in 2009, according to a report prepared for the Neighborhood, Housing and Development subcommittee. The report indicates there are now 500 smoke-free policies at public housing units across the country, up from 12 in 2005.

A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October looked at the costs related to smoking in subsidized housing. Adopting a smoke-free policy in such units nationwide would save nearly $500 million per year, according to the study.

The study looked at secondhand smoke and its impact on health, the cost of cleaning apartments and smoke-related fires of units. The study also cited environmental studies that show secondhand smoke can infiltrate smoke-free units.

City housing officials said they are concerned about secondhand smoke because it may cause health issues for residents. Secondhand smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals that include nicotine, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, according to the subcommittee report.

City officials also raised concerns about the economic cost of smoking. When a smoker moves out of a unit, city workers spend more time to repair or renovate, such as replacing carpets or damaged counter tops and painting the walls, he said.

It takes workers up to 64 hours to clean out an apartment that formerly housed a smoker, compared with 19 hours of a smoke-free unit, city official said.

"In labor costs alone, the conservative figure for savings per year is about $6,000 per month, once the policy is fully implemented," Emerson said. "That savings will give us the ability to prepare more units more quickly and help get people housed in safe, sanitary and decent homes as soon as possible."

Phoenix's Housing Department surveyed residents at five senior/disabled sites in September 2013. They found 37 percent of residents said they smoke and about one-third wanted to stop smoking, while about 57 percent of the residents supported a smoke-free policy.

Emerson said the department plans to bring the proposal to the subcommittee in December.