ANCHORAGE, AK – May 22, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) is moving forward with its plan to go smoke-free in its larger multi-family units with tenants who are elderly or have a disability.
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The new policy is planned to take effect Aug. 1, 2013. Initially the plan will include 660 AHFCowned and managed units. Statewide, AHFC owns and manages 1,628 units.
The move to go to a smoke-free environment has been under consideration for some time and is supported with data from a survey AHFC conducted in 2010 indicating that 74 percent of tenants would like to live in smoke-free housing.
“We know this is a sensitive issue and we have been moving carefully and respectfully through the process, meeting with residents and other housing agencies that already have a policy in place to gather feedback and guidance,” says Cathy Stone, AHFC Director of Public Housing.
Public comments are being solicited through June 15, and as proposed, residents will have to sign a new lease during the month of July for an Aug. 1 policy effective date.
“We will evaluate the impact of the policy shift in the next year and if deemed successful, AHFC wil most likely extend its smoke-free initiative to our entire stock of housing. AHFC is committed to its mission of providing safe, quality and affordable housing for our residents, guests and employees,” says Stone.
For a list of AHFC properties that are planned to go smoke-free Aug. 1, please see the following page of this release.
AHFC is a public corporation with a long history of providing Alaskans access to safe, quality and affordable housing through home financing programs, energy efficiency and weatherization programs, public housing and more. Since 1986, AHFC has contributed $1.9 billion to the State of Alaska’s General Fund.
Contact:
Soren Johansson
AHFC Public Relations Manager
(907) 330-8447
sjohansson (at) ahfc (dot) us
