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Smoke-Free Apartments

CHICAGO (AP) - Owners of apartment buildings and other multi-unit residences in Chicago are getting an incentive to go smoke-free.

The Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project has announced grants of up to $10,000 to create smoke-free policies in these buildings. The idea is to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.

The money can be used to update leases and other legal documents and for educating residents. It also can fund resources for tenants who want to quit smoking.

A recent survey found nearly half of Chicago renters would be more likely to rent in a smoke-free building, and 32 percent would be willing to pay more to live in a smoke-free building.

The Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago runs the tobacco prevention project.

Grant applications are available at ChicagoSmokefreeHousing.org. There's a June 15 deadline.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

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