New Smoke-Free NYCHA Liaisons

Helping NYCHA Residents Create Healthier Communities

Two years ago, NYCHA and public housing authorities across the country went smoke-free to help create healthier environments for public housing residents by curbing exposure to secondhand smoke. 

A major part of the Smoke-Free NYCHA initiative is educating residents about the policy and providing resources and referrals to residents who want to stop smoking. NYCHA’s smoke-free policy prohibits the use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and hookahs anywhere inside public housing buildings and within 25 feet of any NYCHA building.  

Based on the NYC Health Department’s annual Community Health Survey, approximately 18 percent of NYCHA’s adult residents are current smokers. 

In July, NYCHA hired a team of six Smoke-Free NYCHA Liaisons — four of whom are NYCHA residents — to serve as community health workers that answer questions about the policy,  coach residents who want to quit or reduce tobacco use, and provide relevant resources.  

According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office, more than two-thirds of the country’s adult cigarette smokers are interested in quitting cigarette smoking; and the majority of the country’s adult cigarette smokers have tried to quit during the past year. 

Roosevelt Houses resident Lamonte Thomas is one of the new Smoke-Free NYCHA Liaisons and brings years of social work experience to the role, as well as being able to engage his fellow NYCHA residents (as he has done for over 10 years serving as treasurer of the Roosevelt Houses Resident Association). “I’m looking forward to engaging with the residents,” Mr. Thomas said. “I’m a people helper, so being able to help residents is appealing to me.”  

Mr. Thomas believes NYCHA’s Smoke-Free policy is very important for both smokers and non-smokers like himself: “I want to live in an environment that is smoke free. I could be sitting in my kitchen and the cigarette smoke or marijuana smoke comes into my window because another resident may be sitting at their window smoking – but it’s as if I’m right there with the person. I would love to live in a smoke-free environment.” 

Any resident concerned about secondhand smoke in their building can report policy violations by calling the Customer Contact Center (CCC) at 718-707-7771. Property management staff will schedule an informal conference after receiving multiple complaints about a resident or a resident’s guest violating the policy. To date, NYCHA has received over 1,900 smoke-free policy violation complaints from residents.  

Stephanie Felix is another new Liaison. She believes her personal experience as a former smoker and asthmatic will allow her to connect with NYCHA residents who want to quit smoking. She has extensive knowledge of NYCHA not only as a resident but as a former representative of NYCHA’s Customer Contact Center. “I’ll be able to empathize with them and let them know that I know what they’re going through. I’m a resident like them; I’m not an outsider. I also know there might be other underlying things going on, like anxiety, that is causing them to smoke, and there’s other things to do to help themselves besides smoking.” 

Ms. Felix is a single mother who lives at Drew Hamilton Houses with her three children. For a long time, she was ashamed to admit she was a smoker or buy a full pack of cigarettes, even though she regularly smoked “loosies” since she was a teenager. But with her asthma, she wants to try to do everything she can to be healthy for herself and her children. 

Ms. Felix quit smoking with the help of a nutritionist, exercise, encouragement from her children, and therapy to help work on her anxiety levels so that she won’t reach for a cigarette when she is stressed.  
 
She is excited about how her work as a Smoke-Free NYCHA Liaison can help continue the increased unity and caring she’s seen in her community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: “Everyone seems more caring and friendly. I’ve always cared about my community and wanted to give back. Now, I’m looking forward to giving back by sharing the steps I took to quit smoking and live a healthier life. This is going to be very fulfilling.” 

Quitting smoking reduces the risk of many negative health effects, including reproductive health outcomes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory infections and pneumonia, and numerous cancers. Quitting smoking can also offer important protection against COVID-19, as smoking increases the risk of respiratory infections and pneumonia, and may increase the risk of serious illness if one has COVID-19. 

The Liaisons are starting their work in Queens and Staten Island. Residents from developments in those two boroughs can contact the Liaison team by emailing smoke-free@nycha.nyc.gov or calling 212-306-8282. Due to COVID-19, the majority of the Liaisons’ outreach will be by telephone initially. 

Any New Yorker who smokes and wants to quit can also get support by visiting the New York State Smokers’ Quitline online or by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS or 311.
 
To learn more about Smoke-Free NYCHA, visit on.nyc.gov/nycha-smoke-free.