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What is Housing Navigation?
Role of the Housing Navigator
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.
This video explores the journeys of Dan and Dave, two people with disabilities from Rochester, New York who found their own apartments with the help of a Housing Navigator.
How to Become a Housing Navigator
About The Housing Navigator 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. Additionally, students will be assigned several reading resources to be completed outside of instruction time. Students are required to participate in all course sessions and complete assigned readings. Sessions take place virtually through Zoom and are recorded and made available to students during the course.
This course includes the following ten sessions covering the topics listed:
- Orientation (2 hours): Course Introduction, Look at History, Role of a Housing Navigator
- Social Capital (3 hours): Why Care About Housing, Person-Centered Planning, Supported-Decision Making, Guardianship, Building Social Capital
- Financial Capital 1 (3 hours): SSI, SSDI, CDB, 1619, SSP, Congregate Care Supplements, SNAP, HEAP, WAP, HUD, FMR, Rental Assistance
- Financial Capital 2 (3 hours): Special Needs Trusts, Protected Savings (FSS, IDA, ABLE), Social Security Work Incentives (PASS, IRWE, Subsidies, Special Conditions), EITC
- Support Services (3 hours): Self-Direction Services and Housing, Independent Living Centers, Environmental Modifications, Enabling Technology, TRAID Centers
- Planning 1 (3 hours): Getting Started, Housing Options, Shared Living, OPWDD Housing Subsidy, NYS Human Rights Law
- Planning 2 (3 hours): Homeownership, Ownership Structures, Rent or Buy, Property Tax Exemptions, Planning for a Move, Transition Stipends
- How is Housing Created 1 (3 hours): OPWDD Housing, Affordability, Federal and State Programs, Affordable Housing 101, Land Banks
- How is Housing Created 2 (3 hours): USDA Housing, Multi-Family Supportive Housing, HCR, ISH, ESSHI, LIHTC
- Course Wrap-Up (2 hours): Regional Housing Collaboratives, NYHRC, HN Network
Certification Requirements & Course Pricing
Students seeking certification as a Housing Navigator will be required to complete the following in addition to course instruction time and assigned readings.
- Attend 6 hours of live, virtual work sessions with course faculty for a total course time of 34 hours (28 hours of course instruction; 6 hours of work sessions).
- Create a housing plan based on a selected case study using the Housing Planning Instrument (HPI) provided.
- Create a housing budget based on a selected case study using the HN Budget Calculator provided.
- Demonstrate proficiency in building a sample housing plan for a person with a disability through participation in work sessions and completion of required assignments.
Following completion of the course and all certification requirements, students will:
- receive a certificate of course completion and certification as a Housing Navigator;
- be invited to join a Housing Navigator Network of more than 200 active Housing Navigators across NYS;
- receive an invitation to join quarterly Housing Navigator Network Calls, which are a great way for Housing Navigators to stay up-to-date on critical housing-related changes; and
- gain access to the NY Alliance Housing Navigator Directory to list your contact information as a Certified Housing Navigator.
For more information about reimbursable Housing Navigation services, click here.
Course Pricing
NY Alliance Provider Organization Member: $850 per person
All Others Price: $1350 per person
Pricing includes access to:
- All live, virtual sessions and post-session recordings;
- Housing Navigator tools (e.g., budget calculator, housing planning instrument, etc.);
- Landing page of publicly available resources and course materials.
Please note, pricing does not include the cost of From Snake Pits to Cash Cows: Politics and Public Institutions in New York, which is required reading for course completion and certification.
The course is offered each year in either the Spring or Fall and registration can be found on the NY Alliance website here.
Continuing education hours for Social Workers are available upon request.
Interested in Registering for the Next Training?
The Housing Navigator Course is typically offered two times each year. If you are interested in receiving information about the next offering, click here to join our e-list to receive information when the next series is announced!