Advocating for Advocating for Change: Change: Messaging and Messaging and Methods for Influencing Methods for Influencing the Adoption of Smoke-the Adoption of Smoke-

Free PoliciesFree Policies

Who We Are, What We Do and Why It Works

• We are made of up a diverse group of stakeholders, including public health, housing, environmental and legal professionals.

• We advocate for VOLUNTARY policy change by landlords, public housing authorities and property managers.

• The Coalition has met with success primarily due to the engagement of stakeholders, collaborative partnerships and consistent market-friendly messaging.

Why We Promote Voluntary Policy Change

• Historically, Libertarian ideologies define the citizen opinion in Maine.

• Strong and progressive State laws, but we draw the line when it comes to people’s homes.

• Maine people are in favor of smoking bans when the primary goal is to protect children; otherwise seen as “civil liberties” issue.

• A coalition-based model that has time and funding to:– Develop relationships– Educate landlords and the general public– Develop materials– Offer technical assistance– But NOT to develop ordinances in each town in Maine

or at the state-level

State-wide programs often seek legislation, so why not make legislation a focus of the

master plan?

Make Friends and Network

• Key to Coalition success has been the ability to make & keep friends.

• Community coalitions, ‘champion’ housing professionals and others have had a huge impact on Coalition success.

Success Will be Found in Your Collaborations

• Landlord Associations• Private Market Housing

– Condos, vacation/seasonal• Public Housing• Fire Marshal’s Office• Social Services

– Homeless– Immigrant Services

Success Will be Found in Your Collaborations cont…

• Behavioral Health Community– In-patient and transitional housing facilities

• Look for non-traditional public health partners.– Insurance industry– Environmental health/indoor air quality advocates– TENANTS and tenant advocacy groups– Anyone else who is willing to listen

• Don’t assume anyone knows anything about the issue- including your friends and co-workers!

Outreach Efforts that Work

• Direct mail is the best way to reach landlords and trusted partners (i.e. clinics, WIC, Head Start) are the best way to reach tenants.

• Reach populations where they are:– Tenants

• Craigslist, Laundromats, grocery stores, coffee shops, college campuses, libraries, doctor’s offices/clinics, e-mail and on the web (i.e. Facebook, MySpace, etc).

– Landlords• Landlord association meetings, public housing

authorities, realty groups, finance authorities, local media outlets, etc.

Building your credibility and exposure

Over 25,000 educational brochures have been distributed by the

Coalition.

The brochure was updated in 2006 to include data from Sanford and Auburn Housing Authorities that

expressed the extensive cost-savings of a smoke-free policy.

This, along with our website, is the most comprehensive piece of

education on smoke-free policies available, covering everything

from legal protections, cost savings, to the health effects of

secondhand smoke.

Media Coverage• Smoke-free housing has

been in the news about 75 times since inception.

• Media sources such as the USA Today, Boston Globe, Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News, Sun Journal, Kennebec Journal, WMTW, WCSH, WABI, WCSH, Fox News, several local weeklies and others have all run stories on the initiative in Maine.

• Other affiliates and partners have run additional articles as well: PTM’s The Link, MaineHousing’s rental guide, HMP’s The Scuttle Butt, Asthma Regional Council’s Innovations, the State Fire Marshal’s newsletter and more.

Building credibility and exposure…Fire Marshal Press Event

• In April, the Coalition partnered with State Fire Marshal in a ‘call-to-action’ asking all Maine’s public housing authorities to adopt a smoke-free policy.– This included a letter to

all 25 executive directors as well as a press event on April 22, 2008.

• The press event resulted in several news stories, including coverage by the AP, MPBN, WCSH, WBLZ, WMTW, Kennebec Journal, Portland Press Herald and the Coastal Journal.

Building credibility and exposure… Direct Mail

In the last two years we

have sent 10s of

thousands of postcards to

landlords throughout the State

which have served to

advertise the website, registry,

conferences, trainings and our general message.

Building credibility and exposure …

Targeted Mailings

• To increase the use of the online registry to Maine landlords, the Coalition partnered with HMPs in Androscoggin, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Lincoln and Knox to send promotional offers to landlords who joined the registry.

Sending the Right Message: Say it Right

• Remember:

– A smoke-free policy does not require anyone to quit smoking

– An apartment building is an investment for the landlord

– There is no “one-size fits all” approach to policy adoption

– The majority of people DON’T smoke and WANT to live in a smoke-free environment.

Sending the Right Message: Say it Right

• Don’t forget:– There are several free

resources available– For those who want to

quit, the State provides substantial free support

– There is no right to smoke, but people should be free to breathe clean air

– A home is not a healthy home if it is not a smoke-free home

Stay on Cue• It’s about the smoke, not the smoker.

• Smoke-free living is becoming the norm, not the exception.

• Maine laws protect people from involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke at work, public places, bars and restaurants, but not in the place people spend the majority of their time: the home.

• Tenants want this! 78% of tenants want to live in a smoke-free environment.

• Smoke-free housing saves property managers and landlords MONEY—it costs two to seven times as much to turn over a unit where smoking is allowed as opposed to a unit where smoking is not allowed.

• Keep in contact with public housing professions (and tenants) who have already gone smoke-free-- engage them in your efforts.

-They will become your champions!• Focus on factors most important to them.

-Financial impact, legal complications, ease of enforcement, etc.

• Work with state housing authority and larger developments to set a precedence around smoke-free housing.

• Make it easy—always provide them with the resources to make the process as effortless as possible.

Things to Remember…

You Have Resources• www.smokefreeforme.org

• FREE smoke-free housing registry for landlords & tenants in ME

• Landlord brochure, fact sheets, packets, training video- all downloadable from site

• Tenant fact sheets in several languages-downloadable from site

• Magnets, key chains & window clings for Maine landlords

• Email info@smokefreeforme.org for technical assistance

• Copies of this presentation available on SlideShare.net

Mark your calendar!

Tenant recruitment in 2010- the free and easy way to list

your multi-units in Maine

September 16, 20102-3pm EST