SMOKE TRAVELS! If one tenant smokes EVERYONE smokes!

Imagine coming home and being able to breathe clean, fresh air. What if instead, you came home to smoky, stale air that made your eyes hurt? Smoke-free rules in multi-unit housing like apartments and condos help keep people safe from secondhand smoke. This smoke can travel between units through windows, doorways, cracks in the walls, electrical outlets, and vents. Smoke-free housing not only helps people who live there but also the property owners. It lowers the risk of fires, reduces cleaning costs, and makes the property more valuable.

Living in a building that allows smoking puts people at risk for asthma, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), lung cancer, heart disease, and other breathing problems. Smoke-free housing provides a safe place for families to live and grow by reducing secondhand smoke and improving air quality.

However, in Sacramento County, not everyone has smoke-free housing. Public housing must be smoke-free, but private apartments, condos, duplexes, and townhomes depend on property managers to choose smoke-free rules. Everyone deserves to breathe clean air at home. Home is the place where people are most exposed to smoke and aerosols from tobacco and marijuana cigarettes and vapes. Children, seniors, and pets are especially at risk in multi-unit housing.

A survey by the Sol Project found that 75% of people would support a law banning smoking in multi-unit housing. With this strong support, it's important to push for smoke-free rules and laws to protect your family's health. Let’s make every home a place of clean air—it’s time to clear the air!

Watch the video of the conversation "working towards smoke-free multi-unit housing and outdoor spaces in Sacramento County" that included Valarie Scruggs and Pastor Deborah Simmons of South Sacramento Christian Center on KDEE 97.5 FM with Lady Charmaine.

Learn what you can do if you are dealing with secondhand smoke in your home. Click here to submit a confidential report to the SOL Project or email at smokecomplaints@thesolproject.com or call 888-774-7685, ext. 500.