MONROE — A move by the federal housing and development department aimed toward changing the environment of housing authority facilities will have little impact on the Monroe Housing Authority.

Executive Director Pat Brandenburg said Wednesday that the rule passed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requiring all public housing authorities be smoke free will not affect Monroe. Namely, because the authority has been smoke-free since July 2010, after the state changed its practice of allowing cigarette smoking in public places. 

“We went with the state of Wisconsin because it just made sense,” Brandenburg said. 

The ruling by HUD went into effect July 30. It was originally passed in 2016. It requires that all authorities implement a policy to include all rooms or living spaces and indoor common areas as well as the administrative area. 

There are three areas on the grounds of the Monroe Housing Authority along the 800 block of 13th Avenue which allow smoking. Each are outside, roughly 25 feet from the main building. Brandenburg said some facilities require smokers to move onto public property, but Monroe did not adopt a similar approach. 

“We give them a common area so they can sit outside in a gazebo,” Brandenburg said. “It is their right to have a peaceful enjoyment of their living space.”

None of the authority residents can be near entryways if smoking outside. The rule requires that all public housing be smoke free, which Brandenburg noted may affect other facilities’ ability to gain grant money from the entity. 

While the authority can offer information about programs to help people quit smoking, Brandenburg said it is the individual right of each person to decide whether or not they smoke. She also noted that the banning of cigarette smoke in publicly shared areas and within living units helps contribute to a healthier environment overall.