Nationwide Training Program

To Promote Fair Housing Practices

DANBURY — Building on the alliance recently announced between Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s parent company, NRT Incorporated, and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), NRT has announced the rollout of a nationwide training program to promote fair housing practices across the country.

Starting in New York City and the Mid-Atlantic region, the educational effort will be moving to Chicago and Atlanta in the next few weeks. NRT’s 64,000 sales associates in more than 1,000 offices will receive the training by year’s end, with training scheduled in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y. Workshops are being coordinated in 35 major metropolitan areas with materials provided by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and enhanced by NRT and NCRC.

NRT sales associates will be certified upon completion of the program and each sign the NRT Fair Housing Pledge, which states that all of the company’s representatives are committed to providing equal professional service to any prospective client, customer, or resident of any community.

“By partnering with NCRC, one of the country’s leading proponents of equal housing opportunity, we are setting an example that real estate companies can make a difference in protecting the rights of consumers to live in any community they choose,” said Peggy Doepper, president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y. “Our efforts don’t end with training. Together with NCRC, we will review our fair housing policies and practices to ensure that our initiatives will make a significant difference in strengthening neighborhoods through homeownership.”

“This partnership will enable us to monitor offices and provide invaluable commentary on how well the sales associates are responding to buyers’ requests no matter their background,” explained David Berenbaum, executive vice president for NCRC. “We will use this insight to expand and ensure equal professional service as we seek more tools for building community and individual net worth.”

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut/Westchester maintains approximately 2,400 sales associates at 55 offices across Connecticut and Westchester County.

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition, ncrc.org, was formed in 1990 to harness the collective energies of community reinvestment organizations from across the country and increase the flow of private capital into traditionally underserved communities.  NCRC has worked to make community reinvestment activism a common local occurrence and to promote increased community-lender partnerships. NCRC members represent and protect traditionally underserved and vulnerable populations. Members include community development corporations, civil rights groups, community reinvestment advocates, local and state government agencies, and houses of worship.