SCHUYLKILL HAVEN -- Smokers who live in public housing may soon have to find somewhere else to light up.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) wants to ban smoking inside those buildings.
The Schuylkill County Housing Authority is ahead of the game here; it banned smoking inside public housing back in April. But even seven months later, not everyone is happy with the change.
If you want to light up, you're going to have to step outside. This high-rise in Schuylkill Haven is public housing. It's run by the Schuylkill County Housing Authority which banned smoking in its buildings months ago.
Now the feds want to ban smoking in public housing across the country.
The people here who don't smoke call the new policy is a good one.
"I am a nonsmoker and I don't like somebody sneaking around with a cigarette," said Donna Thompson.
With the ban, if you're caught smoking inside you can eventually get evicted.
Bonnie Leitzel has already been busted. She was living there before the ban was in place.
"I've been smoking since I've been here. I got caught twice, one more time -- I'm out. I don't think it's right," said Leitzel.
While you can't smoke inside the building, it's not banned altogether on the property. There are smoking designated areas. Residents say the covered patio is one of them.
"There are areas where you don't smoke, can't smoke, but there are areas that you can smoke."
The Schuylkill County Housing Authority expects the smoking ban to save the agency some money. That's because it's a lot easier and cheaper to clean an apartment when someone moves out if it doesn't smell of nicotine.
As for the federal ban, it may not take effect for at least another year and a half.