Georgia Agencies Address Home Accessibility
First passed in 1968, the Fair Housing Act (FHA) prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin. In 1988, however, the act changed to include discrimination against people because of a disability. The accessibility design and construction requirements that came about as a result of the act were created, “… to help design professionals, developers and builders better understand their obligations and help persons with disabilities better understand their rights,” explained HUD and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in a joint statement made upon the act’s revision.
FHA pertains to private and public housing called “covered multifamily dwellings,” which are buildings that have four or more units and includes all ground floor units and all units in buildings with elevators.
The act specifies design and construction requirements including:
1. Access to the building’s entrances.
2. Access to public and common areas.
3. Usable doors and doorways.
4. Access route into and through the dwelling.
5. Control switches and outlets in accessible locations.
6. Reinforced bathroom walls for installation of grab bars.
7. Usable kitchens and bathrooms (wheelchair accessible).
As with any legislation, interpretation of laws and guidelines can often produce a myriad of results. To help in understanding both the policy and design requirements of the act, an initiative called Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST, funded by HUD, was created to promote compliance with the FHA.
Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST began in 2003 and holds 10 trainings a year from April through July across the US, on either the act’s policy or design requirements.
In May, 65 individuals including property managers, disability advocates, apartment owners and others gathered for Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST’s policy training in Atlanta, GA. The event was sponsored by the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission, State ADA Coordinator’s Office and the State Bar of Georgia Pro Bono Resource Center.
The day’s presentations included an overview of the:
• Accessibility requirements of the FHA, including a detailed look at the seven technical requirements listed in the sidebar on the opposite page. Participants received key information and resources needed to successfully understand and comply with the accessibility requirements of the FHA.
• Major disability rights laws and their relationship to the FHA giving participants critical information regarding the application of multiple accessibility standards, as well as special issues involved in access requirements.
• Information on legal obligations to make accommodations and permit modifications with examples of what may be requested in both multifamily and single family housing, whether newly constructed or older housing, and ideas about strategies to make commonly requested modifications and accommodations.
“We are the only public outreach on FHA training which includes a call center, training program and website,” explained John Ritzu, program manager for the Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST program.
Ritzu added that it has taken a while for the act’s information to filter down to architects and contractors.
“These requirements, approved by Congress, provide for that stage ‘between’ – when someone due to aging, health issues or disability must leave their home and move into a facility that better accommodates their needs. When the act’s requirements are met, it allows people to stay in their home with modifications that now work for them,” explained Ritzu.
He cites the example of apartments built before the 1980s where it was not unusual to find bathroom doors that were 24 inches wide. The standard wheelchair is 26 inches wide.
Marty Collier, coordinator of the SOPOS Coalition (Shut Out, Price Out, Segregated), added, “Our organization has three goals: affordability, accessibility and integration. It’s about inclusion of everyone including those who are aging, those of all races and those with disabilities.”
The conference was very technical and it provided us with more insight to help in talking to developers. It also gave us information, as advocates, to help us monitor housing
to make sure it meets the act’s requirements,” she added.
Collier has noticed that Atlanta’s building industry has an increased awareness of the FHA’s requirements, especially in new, multifamily housing. She has also observed that, in single family homes which are not covered under the act, builders and renovators are seeing the need to help design homes for people who want to age at home, injured veterans returning from war and other people with mobility challenges.
“Things like zero-step entrances and first-floor bathrooms are being added more often,” Collier said.
Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST explains that before engineering, before design and before construction, it is vital to plan for compliance of the accessibility requirements. It is much easier and cheaper to plan ahead and to build in compliance with the law than to return to retrofit a structure after construction.
Reporting Discrimination:
If anyone feels they have faced or experienced housing discrimination or that the Fair Housing Act’s design and construction requirements are not being met, they may file a complaint by contacting HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints may also be filed by going to www.hud.gov/fairhousing or by downloading HUD’s free housing discrimination mobile application. In addition, individuals may contact the Department of Justice at 1-800-896-7743 or they may email DOJ at .
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