WASHINGTON, November 20, 2013—Today the Equal Rights Center (ERC) —a national non-profit civil rights organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., released a new resource publication for apartment developers to better ensure compliance with federal standards regarding accessible housing for people with disabilities.

Developed with support by funding under a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Fair Housing Act Checklist: A Guide to Accessible Design and Construction Compliance (the FHA Checklist) is a tool for multifamily housing developers that outlines accessibility requirements for design and construction as stipulated in the federal Fair Housing Act.

“The Fair Housing Act Checklist is a unique resource that will be especially beneficial for the housing developer members of the ERC’s Multifamily Housing Resource Program (MHRP),” said Victoria Lanteigne, Corporate Partnership and Trainings program manager at the ERC. “MHRP members have made a commitment to promoting accessibility in their properties, and this checklist will provide a step-by-step guide to ensure the construction of housing that everyone can access.”

The MHRP utilizes both in-person and online trainings, webinars, print and web publications, and highly trained ERC staff to promote accessibility and foster relationships with housing developers, architects and accessibility consulting firms, and accessibility-related product and service vendors. The MHRP is a proactive membership program established to increase the number of residential housing units in the United States that are accessible to persons with disabilities, and to enhance housing industry compliance with federal state and local accessibility laws. Today, MHRP members own or manage more than 600,000 housing units across the nation.

About the Equal Rights Center (www.equalrightscenter.org)
Originally formed in 1983, the Equal Rights Center (ERC) is a national non-profit civil rights organization based in Washington, D.C. With members located in every state and the District of Columbia, the ERC works nationally to promote equal opportunity in housing, employment, disability rights, immigrant rights, and access to public accommodations and government services for all protected classes under federal, state, and local laws.