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E&A Team provides training for DHCD to teach Construction Trade Professionals about Accessible Housing

DHCD Helps Construction Trades Learn About Accessible Housing. It is important that construction trade professionals understand how to build affordable housing that is accessible to everyone, particularly residents who want to age in place. That’s why DHCD provides accessibility training to developers, general contractors, architects and other construction professionals involved in many DHCD-financed affordable housing projects.…

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Perfect is the Enemy of Good

François-Marie Arouet, whose pen name was Voltaire, was a French writer, historian, and philosopher in the 1700s. Voltaire, known for his wit, was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties. When Voltaire coined the phrase “perfect is the enemy of good”, I am quite sure he was not thinking about the imperfections of two by fours, sheetrock, and accessibility regulations.…

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Do You Know?

Do you know that a projected 325,000 new apartments are needed in the United States every year from now until 2030 to meet the growing demand for apartments?  See “The U.S. Needs 4.6 Million new Apartments By 2030 To Keep Up with Demand,” National Multifamily Housing Council Rental Housing Journal, June 12, 20.  According to a recent article in the…

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Accessible Routes – Public & Common Areas

Consider the requirements for an accessible route under the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) and the Fair Housing Design Manual.  Bear in mind the original “purpose” of the FHAA requirements:  to make the multi-family housing (MFH) stock in the private sector in the U.S. more useable for all.  Although some people would argue otherwise, the…

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Joint Statement on FHA Accessibility Highlights HUD and DOJ Positions, Including Virtually Unlimited Statutes of Limitations.

On April 30, 2013,  the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a Joint Statement on the Accessibility (Design and Construction) Requirements for Covered Multifamily Dwellings Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA).  The Joint Statement is in question and answer format and provides a comprehensive look…

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HUD Issues Guidance on Service & Assistance Animals

Nine different dogs from small to large

HUD announced today (April 29, 2013) that it has issued a Notice on Service Animals and Assistance Animals for People with Disabilities in Housing.  The Notice explains the circumstances under which the Fair Housing Act (FHA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may require housing providers to…

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The Fair Housing Design Manual – Design

When HUD issued the Fair Housing Act Design Manual and its’ design requirements, there was considerable concern that it would add cost to apartment complex construction. However, the “cost” factor turned out to be less than expected. And, the design requirements actually reflected what was happening in the American marketplace. The biggest change in apartment-unit-design…

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