MHRP
Multifamily Housing Resource Program
The Multifamily Housing Resource Program (MHRP) is a trailblazing membership program for housing industry leaders, dedicated to helping multifamily housing developers comply with accessibility requirements, and increasing the number of accessible apartments and condominiums in the United States.
Since its founding in 2008, the MHRP has grown to include 19 members, including developers representing more than 600,000 apartments and condominiums across the country. These industry leaders serve as a model for the housing industry, and provide many of the nation’s 57 million individuals with disabilities, along with the rising population of individuals in need of equitable resources, the opportunity to live where they choose.
MHRP members are industry leaders in the areas of multifamily housing development, design, construction and property management.
NEWS/HIGHLIGHTS
Fairfax County Office of Human Rights & Equity Programs and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Present Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST Design & Construction Training on May 17th, 2017.
Members 2021-2022
MHRP’s Philosophy
- Offering accessible housing expands the potential customer base to include the growing market of home renters and buyers with disabilities.
- Accessible design is attractive design, tending to create more open kitchen, bathroom and unit designs that appeal to all residents.
- Providing accessible and adaptable units will allow residents to age in place, as the general population grows older.
- The costs of addressing accessibility on a retrofit basis far exceed the cost of ensuring compliant design and construction at the earliest stages of every multifamily housing project.
The MHRP offers a variety of resources to assist its members with implementing best practices designed to enhance, promote and exceed compliance with the requirements of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as they relate to accessible and fair housing. A description of the membership types and service levels are below:
Membership Types
Executive Membership: Industry leaders in the areas of multifamily housing development, management, and construction.
Advisory Members: Housing industry members and professional services firms with distinct accessibility-related expertise.
Associate Members: Housing industry businesses and organizations such as product or service vendors or contractors.
Membership Levels
| Base Member | Bronze Member | Silver Member | Gold Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership Access, including all calls, meetings, and marketing conducted by the ERC | Membership Access, including all calls, meetings, and marketing conducted by the ERC | Membership Access, including all calls, meetings, and marketing conducted by the ERC | Membership Access, including all calls, meetings, and marketing conducted by the ERC |
| Recognition as a member on the ERC MHRP Membership webpage and annual report | Recognition as a member on the ERC MHRP Membership webpage and annual report | Recognition as a member on the ERC MHRP Membership webpage and annual report | Recognition as a member on the ERC MHRP Membership webpage and annual report |
| Access to discounted prices on in-person trainings | Access to discounted prices on additional in person trainings | Access to discounted prices on additional in person trainings | Access to discounted prices on additional in person trainings |
| Contact Us | Trainings: 2 per year | Trainings: 4 per year | Trainings: 6 per year |
| In-Person Testing: 2 per year | In-Person Testing: 2 per year | In-Person Testing: 3 per year | |
| Phone Testing: 2 per year | Phone Testing: 3 per year | Phone Testing: 4 per year | |
| Best Practices Technical Assistance: 2 hours | Best Practices Technical Assistance: 3 hours | Best Practices Technical Assistance: 3 hours | |
| ERLC Access: 5 people per year | ERLC Access: 25 people per year | ERLC Access: 50 people per year | |
| Contact Us | Site Surveys: 2 | Site Surveys: 3 | |
| Contact Us | Contact Us |
Corporate Compliance Services
The MHRP offers a variety of resources that any multifamily housing development, design or construction company may employ in all phases of a multifamily housing project to maximize awareness of, and compliance with, the accessibility requirements of the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and local accessibility laws.
The services provided by the MHRP include:
1. Fair Housing Training
This training includes information on the background and history of the Fair Housing Act and other laws that impact housing, discusses federal, and other protected classes, and examines common scenarios related to fair housing compliance, including how to handle reasonable accommodation and modification requests.
2. Accessible Design and Construction Training
Incorporating the spirit of accessibility into your daily business.
The MHRP’s highly interactive and innovative training programs use materials developed specifically for your business, including videos and vignettes, to educate your personnel on a variety of fair housing issues. Training options include general, comprehensive fair housing instruction, as well as narrowly tailored modules on FHA and ADA accessibility issues. Qualified and experienced MHRP trainers explain relevant legal requirements, and provide your staff with techniques for turning that knowledge into practical compliance through real life examples, role play, and lecture. The MHRP’s thorough trainings and educational materials provide your staff with critical information that will lay the ground work for future compliance with fair housing laws.
Read more about the MHRP Trainings and how they can be integrated into your business strategy.
3. Fair Housing Testing
Quality Assurance that you can trust.
Testing is a controlled process designed to identify differences in treatment accorded to individuals who are similar in every significant respect except the variable being tested (e. g., national origin, disability, race, number of children). Testing allows the measurement and documentation of differences in the quality and quantity of information and services individuals are receiving. When requested by a housing development, sales, rental or management company, the MHRP will provide confidential testing as a quality assurance mechanism to determine if employees having contact with the public have internalized, and are actually applying the Fair Housing principles taught in employee orientations and training sessions.
Learn more about the MHRP’s Testing Program and why it distinguishes the MHRP from other organizations.
4. Accessibility Site Surveys
Ensuring access for persons with disabilities.
On-site visits of your company’s multifamily properties and sales/leasing locations allow MHRP staff to evaluate and advise on compliance with the accessibility requirements of the FHA and the ADA. Drawing on experience in conducting hundreds of these surveys, MHRP staff are able to identify potential FHA or ADA compliance concerns for developers at a point in time when they can be efficiently remedied.
5. Best Practices
The ERC provides best practices technical assistance at an hourly rate. This assistance is designed to maximize access and accommodations for residents and patrons and will in many instances go beyond the requirements of the law. This can include the review or creation of documents or policies and the provision of legal information and guidance.
The ERC does not give legal advice, including advice on the minimum requirements for complying with the law or assistance applying the law to a specific set of facts. For that, we encourage consultation with legal counsel.
For pricing information, or to arrange for a group in-person training course, please contact us or call us at 202-234-3062.
Equal Rights Center launches first ever fair housing accessibility app – the Fair Housing Checklist App.
Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the new app transforms the ERC’s Fair Housing Checklist, also published under a HUD grant, into a dynamic mobile app. The app highlights the seven accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act and enables general contractors, architects, developers and other housing industry professionals to upload and toggle between multiple construction projects. Users can see measurements and diagrams for the requirements, track and save their up-to-date progress throughout the project’s duration, and email their progress at any time. The app is available in Google Play and Apple stores, and can be found by searching for the phrase “fair housing”. This app is designed to ensure that multifamily housing providers have the right tools to build accessible housing for individuals with disabilities right from the start.
