The Equal Rights Center (ERC), a Washington D.C.-based civil rights organization, and Camden Property Trust, a Houston-based real estate company (NYSE: CPT) announced today the settlement of litigation through a joint agreement to work together to improve the supply of accessible housing for people with disabilities.

Camden, a leader in the multifamily industry, joins other major multifamily companies, including Archstone Smith Trust, Bozzuto, Dittmar, Kettler, and Trammell Crow Residential, in multi-year commitments to improve accessibility at their existing properties and proactively work with the ERC to ensure accessibility in the future.

Since beginning its accessible housing initiative in December 2004, the ERC has reached agreements with 10 national, regional and local multifamily companies resulting in the alteration of more than 25,000 apartment and condominium units at more than 200 complexes in 18 states and the District of Columbia, to make them more accessible to people with disabilities. Collectively, these agreements have resulted in payments to the ERC and its counsel of more than $4 million.

“The ERC’s accessible housing initiative has changed the way the multifamily housing industry thinks about and prioritizes accessibility,” said Don Kahl, Executive Director of the ERC.

“Camden, as an industry leader, is proud of its accomplishments to date in providing accessible housing and looks forward to greater accomplishments in the future as a result of its ongoing commitment and its collaboration with the ERC,” said Richard Campo, Camden’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and current chairman of the National Multi Housing Council.

The keystone of the ERC’s accessibility initiative, called the Multifamily Housing Resource Program (MHRP), provides a vehicle for developers and disability advocates to address housing accessibility issues in a proactive way by providing expert advice and “best practices” guidance, employee training, compliance testing, and accessibility resources.

In addition to its commitment to participate in the MHRP for 10 years, which will include obtaining the benefits of the educational, training and consulting resources available from the MHRP, Camden will also include accessibility related advertising in its marketing materials and will be an active participant in the web-based National Accessible Apartment Clearinghouse — a national database of accessible apartments.

“Camden joins an elite group of developers with the corporate conscience and willingness to step up and proactively address accessibility issues. We are proud to have Camden as a member of the MHRP,” Kahl said.

“We are delighted that Camden has joined the ERC’s ongoing effort to ensure equal housing opportunities for the millions of people with disabilities living in this country,” said Mary Hahn, the Fair Housing Project Director at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs.

“In passing the Fair Housing Act Amendments to require that housing be designed and constructed with basic accessibility features, Congress recognized that accessible housing is essential for people with disabilities to live independently in their communities. We applaud Camden for its commitment to work with the ERC to help ensure that people with disabilities can live in their community of choice,” Hahn said.

The ERC is a comprehensive, civil rights membership organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with more than 25 years of experience in advancing civil rights. The ERC was represented in negotiating its agreement with Camden by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs and the Washington, D.C. law firms of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Gilbert LLP.

Camden Property Trust, an S&P 400 Company, is a real estate company engaged in the ownership, development, acquisition, management and disposition of multifamily apartment communities. Camden owns interests in and operates 182 properties containing 62,946 apartment homes across the United States. Camden was recently named by FORTUNE® Magazine for the second consecutive year as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America.

In addition to historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements under the federal securities law. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which Camden operates, management's beliefs, and assumptions made by management. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict.