ERC's Fair Housing Checklist Mobile App

Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the new app transforms the ERC’s Fair Housing Checklist, also published under a HUD grant, into a dynamic mobile app. The app highlights the seven accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act and enables general contractors, architects, developers and other housing industry professionals to upload and toggle between multiple construction projects. Users can see measurements and diagrams for the requirements, track and save their up-to-date progress throughout the project’s duration, and email their progress at any time. The app is available in Google Play and Apple stores, and can be found by searching for the phrase “fair housing”. This app is designed to ensure that multifamily housing providers have the right tools to build accessible housing for individuals with disabilities right from the start.

A client once approached our company for our IT Consulting services. It is to help with the development of a mobile app. The aim of the app is to help the public check whether a certain property complies with the Fair Housing Act. Additionally, it ensures that the right tools are available to them at any time. This is especially needed for those who have a family member with a disability. Funding for the project came from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They asked us to help convert the ERC’s checklist into an easy to use mobile app in its development. In addition, they are specifically requesting a clean design.

The development of a mobile app for FHA

To achieve this endeavor, they hand us a stack of papers to go through. These papers contain the checklist which we highlight in the development of the mobile app. Our IT consulting services team paid particular attention to incorporating the seven accessibility requirements, which are the following:

• Accessible Building Entrance on an Accessible Route
• Usable Kitchen and Bathrooms
• Accessible and Usable Public and Common Use Areas
• Usable Doors
• Accessible Route Into and Through the Covered Dwelling Unit
• Light Switches, Electrical Outlets, Thermostats and Other Environmental Controls in Accessible Locations
• Reinforced Walls for Grab Bars

By doing so, we also included the items under each category. As a result, we are making sure that during the development of the mobile app that we are inclusive of what the manual checklist might reflect. Moreover, we also made sure that the interface is as user-friendly as possible. By doing so, it makes it easier for housing professionals to simultaneously work on various construction projects. On the other hand, users receive updates on their housing projects. They can also compare the measurements with the requirements of HUD as a guide. Let’s collaborate.