The director of the Housing Commission of Flint, Michigan, Rod Slaughter, is interested in implementing drug testing for some tenants in public housing, according to a feature on MLive.com. The idea is still in its initial stages, according to Slaughter, and specific details have not been worked out yet.
Slaughter is using a program in Indianapolis as a model, where some residents who are recipients of rent assistance are subjected to random checks for such substances as marijuana, cocaine and heroin. According to Slaughter, a zero-tolerance drug policy is in keeping with the goal of ensuring that one or more public housing complexes are smoke-free.
The concept sat well with Crestview Apartments Nora Snowden, who noticed a change in the complex since she moved in. “When I moved in here, it was pretty much all elderly; HUD changed that. I enjoyed it when it was just seniors.” She spoke of running into tenants who “reeked” of drug use and of visitors being asked whether they need drugs. She gave the opinion that drug users may change their lifestyle if they were at risk of getting evicted.
There are those, however, who are opposed to random drug testing; in this case, having such a program generalizes the fact that anyone in public housing is a suspected drug user.
Indianapolis Housing Agency executive director Bud Myers shared that their program performs annual testing of family members who are 18 years and older, “and if a leaseholder fails, we do move for eviction.” People are given 30 days to get clean, and if they are unable to do so, they are evicted.
Tags: housing drug test, michigan drug test, tenant drug test
