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Empower Your Community. Advance Your Career.

Join the Housing Navigator Virtual Training Course – Starting January 2026

Limited Number of Registrations Available! Register Today!

What is Housing Navigation?

Housing Navigation is a focused, outcome oriented, and time limited service that helps people with I/DD who need or want to move to community-based housing to obtain and maintain stable, long-term housing of their choice. Housing Navigation services may include:

• Developing an individualized person-centered housing plan.
• Developing an individual housing budget including the optimization of benefits and financial consulting, if necessary.
• Implementing a housing action plan which includes the person’s housing vision and housing budget.
• Finding a home in the community of choice.
• Coordinating a move.
• Housing sustainability plan and transition to ongoing service providers.
• Housing crisis resolution.

About the Course

The New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation (NY Alliance) Housing Navigator Course was developed in 2015 through the Balancing Incentive Program (BIP) grant. The 28+ hour course has transformed over the last several years to include the most up-to-date and innovative information, education and resources to assist a Housing Navigator in supporting a person with I/DD in creating housing options.

Throughout the course, students will:

• learn how housing is funded, developed and sustained;
• understand how to base the housing process on the needs of the person, their social capital, their assets and income and their choices and options;
• learn how to design a person-centered housing plan;
• obtain cutting-edge, resources and become part of a statewide 'housing' community of practice;
• be qualified to create housing opportunities for people with I/DD and to develop agency capacity for more housing initiatives.

Student Commitment

The course consists of 15 live, virtual sessions over a three-month period totaling 34 hours of in-class time (28 hours of course instruction; 6 hours of work sessions). These interactive sessions will include recorded and live presentations from content experts, regional breakout discussions, and open discussions with course faculty on critical content. Sessions take place virtually through Zoom and are recorded and made available to students during the course.

Additionally, students will be assigned course work and readings to be completed outside of instruction time. Course work is cumulative over the three-month period to build two principal assignments for certification. Out-of-class course work and readings may require 4 to 6 hours per week on average to complete. To earn certification as a Housing Navigator, students must attend all course sessions and successfully complete two principal assignments.

Training Dates

Orientation - 9:00-11:00am Thursday, January 15

Classes - 9:00am-12:00pm Unless Stated Otherwise

Thursday, January 29

Thursday, February 5

Thursday, February 12

Thursday, February 26

Thursday, March 5

Thursday, March 12

Thursday, March 19

Thursday, March 26

Friday, April 10* 9:00-11:00

Work Sessions - 9:00-10:00am Unless Stated Otherwise

Friday, January 30* 9:00-11:00

Friday, February 6

Friday, February 13

Friday, February 27* Optional

Friday, March 6

Friday, March 13

Friday, March 20* Optional

Classes will be recorded and available to participants following the live sessions.

Curriculum Outline

This course includes the following ten sessions covering the topics listed:

• Orientation: Course Introduction, Look at History, Role of a Housing Navigator
• Social Capital: Why Care About Housing, Person-Centered Planning, Supported-Decision Making, Guardianship, Building Social Capital
• Financial Capital 1: SSI, SSDI, CDB, 1619, SSP, Congregate Care Supplements, SNAP, HEAP, WAP, HUD, FMR, Rental Assistance
• Financial Capital 2: Special Needs Trusts, Protected Savings (FSS, IDA, ABLE), Social Security Work Incentives (PASS, IRWE, Subsidies, Special Conditions), EITC
• Support Services: Self-Direction Services and Housing, Independent Living Centers, Environmental Modifications, Enabling Technology, TRAID Centers
• Planning 1: Getting Started, Housing Options, Shared Living, OPWDD Housing Subsidy, NYS Human Rights Law
• Planning 2: Homeownership, Ownership Structures, Rent or Buy, Property Tax Exemptions, Planning for a Move, Transition Stipends
• How is Housing Created 1: OPWDD Housing, Affordability, Federal and State Programs, Affordable Housing 101, Land Banks
• How is Housing Created 2: USDA Housing, Multi-Family Supportive Housing, HCR, ISH, ESSHI, LIHTC
• Course Wrap-Up: Regional Housing Collaboratives, NYHRC, HN Network

Course Pricing

$850.00 per person NY Alliance Provider Organization Members

$1,350.00 per person All Other Registrants

IMPORTANT: The registration fee must be paid prior to the start of this training on January 15. If payment is not received, your registration will be cancelled. Please note our cancellation policy as well.

Continuing education hours for Social Workers are available upon request.

Questions? Contact the NY Alliance at nyaii@nyalliance.org.

The New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an Approved Provider of Continuing Education for licensed social workers provider number #0105.