smokefree housing: working with property managers
DESCRIPTION
Smokefree Multi-Unit Housing Ancillary Session, National Conference on Tobacco or Health, 2007TRANSCRIPT
Portland-Vancouver Metro Area
Smokefree Housing Project
www.smokefreehousingNW.com
Thank you to our funders: American Legacy Foundation Kaiser Permanente Community Fund at the Northwest Health Foundation Oregon Tobacco Prevention and Education Program Washington Tobacco Prevention and Control Program Steps to a Healthier Clark County & Community Choices 2010
• Opinion leaders:
– Trade Associations
– Landlord Training Programs
– Leading Property Management Companies
• Targeted Media
• Lease forms
• Vacancy Listing Services
Changing the environment that influences landlords:
“Systems Change” Approach
Advisory Board• We built relationships… one by one
– Took people to coffee– Paid for nice meals
• Didn’t make them come to our Tobacco Coalition meetings
• Got advice, asked questions, strategized together
• Subcontracted to have goals met
Market Research
Reports & assessment tools available at
www.smokefreehousingNW.com
• Needed local data from a credible source (found out who that was)
• Property management companies would probably not have funded the research themselves
• Because Advisory Board helped shape research, they “bought in”
• Key findings are in “Landlord’s Guide”
Landlord Focus Groups & Executive Interviews
• Researcher was known & trusted in landlord circles• Focus groups tested findings from market research,
got suggestions for strategic approaches, feedback on effective messages & delivery mechanisms
• Executive Interviews laid groundwork for us to approach opinion leaders later
• Learned: – landlords not motivated by health messages– Public health agencies (esp. government) not
credible sources for landlords
Educational MaterialsMaterials include:
1. www.SmokefreehousingNW.com
2. A Landlord’s Guide to No-Smoking Policies
3. Smokefree building/ property stickers
Landlord training curriculum & renter packet under revision
Outreach Strategies
Meeting with Landlords: The Guardian Story
Motivational Interviewing, with lots of listening:• “Tell us about your company…”• “How does change happen here?”• “What would it take for your company to
adopt a policy?”
Landlord Outreach• Guardian will be role model for
other local companies– They’re all watching…many are
considering their own policies
• We’re proactively contacting the “top 10 influential” companies
• We’re responding to requests from website & other contacts
Trade Shows• It was well worth the money to have a
booth and develop a quality display• We had fun with the theme, did a raffle,
had fun!• Used as a networking opportunity with
other vendors—walk around, chat people up:– Kennedy Restoration– The Apartment Manager– Vacancy Listing services
Landlord Trainings• We identified existing landlord training
programs such as:– Fire department– Police department – Property manager certification– Fair Housing Council
• Recruited them to be on our Advisory Board• They incorporated smokefree housing
messages & materials• John Campbell (national trainer) has
developed special training program
Media
• Targeted media• Publicized our resources• Beat the drum about market demand• Used channels that already exist to
communicate to landlords – Advisory Board members’
newsletters, websites, listservs
Colleen Hermann-FranzenAmerican Lung Association of [email protected]
Diane Laughter, MPHAmerican Lung Association of [email protected]
Kylie Meiner, MPHMultnomah County Health [email protected]
Theresa Cross, MS, RD, CDClark County Public [email protected]
www.smokefreehousingNW.com