As more public places go smoke-free, one North Texas public agency is following suit.
The Haltom City Housing Authority will ban smoking inside all of its public housing units starting Jan. 1.
The new year will mean residents will have to smoke outside and not in the comfort of their own homes. Some longtime residents are fuming over the move.
"I don't think it's fair. Us old people can't sit outside and smoke. We are too old. We'll get pneumonia," said Sue Hendren, an elderly woman who has lived in Haltom City's public housing for several years.
If residents continue to smoke inside their apartments, it will be considered a lease violation by the housing authority. Three lease violations will be grounds for eviction.
"You'll get evicted," Hendren said. "Where are you supposed to go? I don't want to go anywhere. This is my home."
Elbert Green, 66, said he has been smoking since he was a teenager and has no plans to quit. He said he can't afford to be evicted from Haltom City's Public Housing, saying he would have no place to go.
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Second-hand smoke travels through the shared attic space in the duplexes and fourplexes, said Claire Tiner, executive director of the Haltom City Housing Authority.
"It is very costly to make ready a smoke-stained unit for the next tenant that needs assistance," she said.
The units must be inspected yearly, and housing authority officials will note if the walls are stained with nicotine.
