{"id":3178,"date":"2021-09-14T20:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T20:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalfairhousing.org\/?p=3178"},"modified":"2021-12-09T20:57:59","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T20:57:59","slug":"nfha-announces-settlement-with-gsl-properties-inc-dbg-investors-to-improve-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalfairhousing.org\/nfha-announces-settlement-with-gsl-properties-inc-dbg-investors-to-improve-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"NFHA Announces Settlement with GSL Properties, Inc., DBG Investors to Improve Accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">September 14, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">Contact: Izzy Woodruff | 202-898-1661 |&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:IWoodruff@nationalfairhousing.org\">IWoodruff@nationalfairhousing.org<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph has-text-align-center\"><strong>NFHA Announces Settlement with GSL Properties, Inc., DBG Investors to Improve Accessibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph has-text-align-center\"><em>A NFHA investigation uncovered alleged fair housing violations in the company\u2019s Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, residential properties<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">Washington, D.C. \u2014 A settlement agreement announced today between the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and GSL Properties, Inc.\/DBG Investors (GSL\/DBG) will open up 19 residential properties to individuals with disabilities, ensuring that all amenities are fully accessible, in accordance with the Fair Housing Act\u2019s design and construction requirements. GSL\/DBG is an Oregon-based builder, owner, and operator of multi-family properties in multiple states, including New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">\u201cOur country is still struggling to cope with a severe COVID-19 pandemic that makes fair access to housing, especially for people with disabilities, even more important now,\u201d said&nbsp;<strong>Lisa Rice, President and CEO of NFHA.<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cWe must double down on enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, encouraging residential real estate companies to follow the law to help keep people safely and fairly housed. That\u2019s exactly what this settlement helps accomplish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">Over the course of an investigation from May 2017 to July 2019, NFHA identified what it claims to be violations of the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">As part of the pre-suit settlement agreement announced today, GSL\/DBG will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"content-wrap-item post__list post__list-undefined wp-block-list\" value=\"<li class=&quot;post__list-item is-item-undefined&quot;&gt;Alter or retrofit six properties in New Mexico at issue in the case for accessibility;<\/li&gt;<li class=&quot;post__list-item is-item-undefined&quot;&gt;Inspect its remaining eight New Mexico properties and alter or retrofit them for accessibility;<\/li&gt;<li class=&quot;post__list-item is-item-undefined&quot;&gt;Establish a $300,000 fund to increase accessibility for residents including making reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications requested by residents (e.g., making bathrooms and kitchens accessible, removing inaccessible thresholds and passageways at sliding doors\/balconies, and creating accessible\/designated parking spaces);<\/li&gt;<li class=&quot;post__list-item is-item-undefined&quot;&gt;Notify current and future residents of the availability of the fund and the opportunity to request reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications under it;<\/li&gt;<li class=&quot;post__list-item is-item-undefined&quot;&gt;Engage in \u201ccommercially reasonable\u201d efforts to alter or retrofit any public and common use area features in five additional New Mexico properties that were built designed by GSL\/DBG and subsequently sold to new owners; and,<\/li&gt;<li class=&quot;post__list-item is-item-undefined&quot;&gt;Pay $325,000 in damages and fees to NFHA.<\/li&gt;\"><li>Alter or retrofit six properties in New Mexico at issue in the case for accessibility;<\/li><li>Inspect its remaining eight New Mexico properties and alter or retrofit them for accessibility;<\/li><li>Establish a $300,000 fund to increase accessibility for residents including making reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications requested by residents (e.g., making bathrooms and kitchens accessible, removing inaccessible thresholds and passageways at sliding doors\/balconies, and creating accessible\/designated parking spaces);<\/li><li>Notify current and future residents of the availability of the fund and the opportunity to request reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications under it;<\/li><li>Engage in \u201ccommercially reasonable\u201d efforts to alter or retrofit any public and common use area features in five additional New Mexico properties that were built designed by GSL\/DBG and subsequently sold to new owners; and,<\/li><li>Pay $325,000 in damages and fees to NFHA.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\">NFHA was represented in this case by Sara Pratt of Relman Colfax, PLLC, and the investigation was supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph has-text-align-center\">###<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"content-wrap-item post__paragraph\"><strong><em>The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)<\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;is the country\u2019s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. Through its homeownership, credit access, tech equity, education, member services, public policy, community development, and enforcement initiatives, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 14, 2021 Contact: Izzy Woodruff | 202-898-1661 |&nbsp;IWoodruff@nationalfairhousing.org&nbsp; NFHA Announces Settlement with GSL Properties, Inc., DBG Investors to Improve Accessibility A NFHA investigation uncovered alleged fair housing violations in the company\u2019s Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, residential properties Washington, D.C. \u2014 A settlement agreement announced today between the National Fair [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":433,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,34,2],"tags":[46,44],"class_list":["post-3178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-media","category-nfha-news","category-press-releases","tag-enforcement","tag-fair-housing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - 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