Housing Action
Training Center

National Trainings for Housing Counselors
A core part of our Capacity Building program is bringing a robust lineup of trainings for nonprofit housing professionals, with a specific focus on educating housing counselors.
Our goal is to equip housing counselors with the skills and knowledge they need to better help individuals and families find and keep good homes. In 2021, we expanded our training program beyond Illinois, and since then, we have continued to grow our programming, educating housing counselors from across the country.
Interested in joining us to expand your knowledge and better serve your community? Join our email list to learn about ongoing learning opportunities.

Going Nationwide
Housing Action has been training housing counselors since 2006. In 2021, we expanded our training program beyond Illinois, and since then, we have continued to grow our programming, educating housing counselors from across the country.

In 2023, our trainings were attended by
participants
from across the U.S.
On-Demand Trainings
Recognizing the need for housing counselors to have flexible and dynamic learning opportunities, we’ve launched our first on-demand training opportunity, Compliance Matters: The 2024 Definitive HUD Data Compliance Course for HUD-Certified Housing Counselors.

Prerecorded Trainings & Materials
HUD Updates with Jerrold H. Mayer (2023)
Helping Illinois Homeowners Navigate the Home Appraisal Process (2022)
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing: The Role of Housing Counselors (2022)
Fair housing is the right to choose housing free from unlawful discrimination. This training is to help housing counselors better understand the how fair housing works in the United States and why it is so important. Learn about the history of the Fair Housing Act and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), why these legal protections are essential to expanding housing opportunities, what has happened recently when it comes to fair housing, and how housing counselors can play a critical role in furthering fair housing for your clients and your communities.
Housing Action Illinois brought this training partnership with CAFHA.
Stay Informed & Hear from Experts
We partner with well-respected trainers to make sure that participants get the critical updates and key foundational information needed to support clients.

Becoming a HUD-Certified Housing Counselor
Housing Action Illinois has designed a training series to help newcomers who are interested in a career as a housing counselor. Our Housing Counseling Career Path is a comprehensive program designed to help you understand the six core principles of housing counseling and prepare to pass the HUD Individual Certification Exam, which makes you eligible for hire by a HUD-approved housing counseling agency.
Making the Case for Housing Counseling
Latest News for Housing Counselors
Housing Action Illinois to Create New Data Standard for Housing Counseling Industry
Initiative will help quantify & qualify program impacts, position agencies to better serve consumers For Immediate Release: August 3, 2020 Contact: Kristin Ginger, Communications Manager, Housing Action Illinois, kristin@housingactionil.org or 312-854-3333 CHICAGO...
Housing Action Awarded $1 Million in Housing Counseling Funds
CHICAGO – HUD has awarded $1,000,206 to Housing Action Illinois to distribute funds to local nonprofits whose housing counseling programs help families rent or buy safe, affordable homes and prevent foreclosures. This year’s network of 33 housing counseling agencies, listed below, serve communities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri.
Housing Action Awarded $1.2 Million in Housing Counseling Funds
33 Agencies to Receive Sub-Grants to Help Families Rent or Buy Affordable Homes For Immediate Release: October 8, 2019 Contact: Kristin Ginger, Communications Manager, Housing Action Illinois, kristin@housingactionil.org or 312-854-3333 CHICAGO – HUD has awarded...
CMS Guide 2.0 Released to Help Housing Counseling Agencies Replace HCO
Housing Action Illinois has just published an updated version of its Guide to HUD-approved Client Management Systems (CMSs). The digital resource, which is available for free online, helps users assess their options through an at-a-glance comparison chart and detailed...
Diversifying Revenue through Social Enterprise
A social enterprise is a publicly responsible and innovative venture, driven by unmet community needs, that exists as a hybrid of the traditional nonprofit and business models. Broadly, these ventures can be classified into three categories defined by the Social...
8 Reasons We’re Proud of 2018
1. We were awarded $1.26 million by HUD to support housing counseling programs in the Midwest The funds will be distributed across our growing Intermediary network of 33 agencies in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri to support programs that help...
Housing Action Illinois Awarded $1.2 Million in Housing Counseling Funds
33 Agencies to Receive Sub-Grants to Help Families Rent or Buy Affordable Homes CHICAGO – HUD has awarded $1,259,176 to Housing Action Illinois to distribute funds to local nonprofits whose housing counseling programs help families rent or buy safe,...
Launching a Housing Counseling Program
“Information is power,” says Guadalupe Gasca. As a housing counselor at Centro Romero, the information that Lupe gives families on the northeast side of Chicago helps them find and keep good apartments and homes. “Too many people don’t know their rights,...
Welcome to Our New Housing Counseling Intermediary Affiliates
This spring, Housing Action is excited to welcome three new housing counseling agencies to our Housing Counseling Intermediary network: Central Detroit Christian CDC, The Housing Partnership, and Advantage Housing. Housing counselors work with clients at all income...
New Faces at Housing Action Illinois
Housing Action Illinois has come a long way since we hired our first full-time staff member in 1988—a single employee who shared our offices with the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing. Today, we have 14 full-time staff members, and we’ve grown so...