Sep. 16, 2009 (Business Wire) -- The Equal Rights Center (ERC), a Washington D.C.-based civil rights organization, and Camden Property Trust, a Houston-based real estate company (NYSE: CPT) announced today the settlement of litigation through a joint agreement to work together to improve the supply of accessible housing for people with disabilities.
Camden, a leader in the multifamily industry, joins other major multifamily companies, including Archstone Smith Trust, Bozzuto, Dittmar, Kettler, and Trammell Crow Residential, in multi-year commitments to improve accessibility at their existing properties and proactively work with the ERC to ensure accessibility in the future.
Since beginning its accessible housing initiative in December 2004, the ERC has reached agreements with 10 national, regional and local multifamily companies resulting in the alteration of more than 25,000 apartment and condominium units at more than 200 complexes in 18 states and the District of Columbia, to make them more accessible to people with disabilities. Collectively, these agreements have resulted in payments to the ERC and its counsel of more than $4 million.
“The ERC’s accessible housing initiative has changed the way the multifamily housing industry thinks about and prioritizes accessibility,” said Don Kahl, Executive Director of the ERC.
“Camden, as an industry leader, is proud of its accomplishments to date in providing accessible housing and looks forward to greater accomplishments in the future as a result of its ongoing commitment and its collaboration with the ERC,” said Richard Campo, Camden’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and current chairman of the National Multi Housing Council.
The keystone of the ERC’s accessibility initiative, called the Multifamily Housing Resource Program (MHRP), provides a vehicle for developers and disability advocates to address housing accessibility issues in a proactive way by providing expert advice and “best practices” guidance, employee training, compliance testing, and accessibility resources.
In addition to its commitment to participate in the MHRP for 10 years, which will include obtaining the benefits of the educational, training and consulting resources available from the MHRP, Camden will also include accessibility related advertising in its marketing materials and will be an active participant in the web-based National Accessible Apartment Clearinghouse — a national database of accessible apartments.
“Camden joins an elite group of developers with the corporate conscience and willingness to step up and proactively address accessibility issues. We are proud to have Camden as a member of the MHRP,” Kahl said.
