Courses

Week One

Courses offered in Week One:
Fair Housing Law and Ethics
Critical Thinking and Investigation including Interviewing Techniques
Clear Writing Through Critical Thinking

Enroll in Week One of the NFHTA Core Curriculum Training
State and local agencies participating in the Fair Housing Assistance Program: You must take the courses in sequential order.

Fair Housing Law and Ethics: A two-day course designed to provide investigators with a historical and legal framework for conducting comprehensive, impartial, and ethical investigations. Register

In Fair Housing Law and Ethics, you learn to:

Describe the provisions and history of the Fair Housing Act and the most common situations that give rise to ethical problems.
Identify the Fair Housing Act's protected classes, the types of conduct and activities prohibited, and statutory exemptions.
Respond appropriately in situations in which there is a potential appearance of partisanship or improper relationships.

Critical Thinking and Investigation including Interviewing Techniques: A two-day course that introduces participants to a thoughtful and structured approach to investigating fair housing complaints. Register

This structured approach helps participants to:

Conduct fair, impartial and thorough investigations. Obtain the facts and circumstances that either prove or disprove an allegation of discrimination.
Document the facts and circumstances of the case.

In Critical Thinking and Investigation including Interviewing Techniques, you learn to:

Analyze information and understand the complaint process from an investigative point of view.
Identify the steps for investigating a fair housing complaint and the key players in the complaint investigations process.
Apply a fair housing based analysis process.
Conduct effective interviews during the investigation process.

Clear Writing Through Critical Thinking: A one-day course that assists participants in improving their critical reasoning skills and linking those skills, together with clear writing concepts, to fair housing content. Register

In Clear Writing Through Thinking, you learn to:

Develop, organize and link ideas in paragraph form for emphasis.
Establish a logical sequence and structure for those ideas. Identify weaknesses in writing and write clear and well-organized content
Draw conclusions using analysis and identification of unwarranted assumptions, fallacies or thinking flaws.

Week Two

Enroll in Week Two of the NFHTA Core Curriculum Training
Participants funded through the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) must take the courses in sequential order. Week One must be completed prior to attending Week Two.

Courses offered in Week Two:
The Psychological Impact of Discrimination
Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications
Discovery Techniques and Evidence

The Psychological Impact of Discrimination: A one-day exploration of the psychological harm and other injuries caused by illegal discrimination. Register

In this course, you learn to:

Recognize the types of damages that may be available under fair housing laws
Discuss ways in which psychological harm is manifested in victims of discrimination
Identify the ways to investigate and document injury in the course of an investigation.
Identify some of the personal and psychological challenges that are experienced by victims of racial discrimination

Reasonable Accommodation and Modification: The one-day course provides participants with a basic historical and legal framework for application of the principles of reasonable accommodations, reasonable modifications, and accessibility as a part of investigation of housing discrimination based on disability. Register

In Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications, you learn to:

Effectively understand the origin of disability rights concepts and principles.
Describe and apply four major federal laws prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities.
Understand and apply the concepts of the prima facie case and appropriate defenses during intake,
investigation, and trials involving denials of reasonable accommodations and refusals to make reasonable modifications.
Identify the scope and the accessibility design requirements for newly constructed multifamily housing under the Fair Housing Act.

Discovery Techniques and Evidence: A three-day course that focuses on the assessment of evidence in a fair housing investigation., Federal rules for evidence, including relevance, rules of hearsay and elements of proof are discussed. The course focuses on the collection of investigative evidence that tends to prove or disprove discrimination and it covers planning and executing an on-site investigation.
Register

In this course, you learn to:

Describe the concepts of relevance and admissibility as they relate to evidence.
Identify witness testimony that is competent and admissible.
Develop an investigative plan that includes the most efficient and productive methods for gathering information through proper sequencing of discovery.
Draft a request for evidence and a subpoena.
Apply theories of proof to determine if housing discrimination occurred.
Develop skills in negotiation and the conciliation process.

Week Three

Enroll in Week Three of the NFHTA Core Curriculum Training
Participants funded through the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) must take the courses in sequential order. Week Two must be completed prior to attending Week Three.

Courses offered in Week Three:.
Theories of Proof and Data Analysis
Negotiation Skills /Conciliation for Investigators

Theories of Proof and Data Analysis: A one-day course that provides an overview of various theories of proof and data analysis that have been applied by courts and their application to the investigative process. The course presents an opportunity to apply these principles to investigative situations using in-depth case studies and analysis designed to stimulate and enhance critical thinking.
Register

In this course, you learn to:

Apply the jurisdictional elements to the facts of a fair housing complaint
Understand the concept of “motive” in proving that discriminatory practice has occurred.
Define the terms discriminatory intent and discriminatory impact.
Understand how the concept of burden of proof applies to housing discrimination complaints.
Determine what type of evidence proves or disproves an allegation of discrimination.
Apply the proof theories to determine whether a complaint has merit.

Negotiation Skills /Conciliation for Investigators: A four-day course that covers the principles of the conciliation process, including fundamental principles of negotiation, legal requirements and win-win strategies.
In this course, you learn to:

Understand and apply effective negotiation strategies
Focus on “reading” people during negotiations.
On the first day of class, investigators will participate in a pre-text exercise.
On the last day of class, investigators will conduct a simulated conciliation session.

For the Fair Housing Professional
NFHTA welcomes Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) and private fair housing organization Directors and managers, investigators, intake staff, conciliators and mediators, attorneys, educators, and trainers, Commission and Board Members, and other fair housing professionals.
Week Three training is designed for you. Strengthen your civil rights knowledge and skills today.

Week Four

Enhance your ability to examine and analyze testing evidence. Learn to summarize the essential elements of a fair housing complaint.
Apply your skills, techniques and knowledge in a simulated investigative situation.

Enroll in Week Four of the NFHTA Core Curriculum Training
Participants funded through the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) must take the courses in sequential order. Week Three must be completed prior to attending Week Four.

Courses offered in Week Four:
Standards for Testing Cases
Briefing Techniques for Compliant Investigations
Fair Housing Investigation Review and Application

Standards for Testing Cases: This one-day course is designed to enhance the ability of investigators to examine and analyze testing evidence in an investigation. This course gives participants a brief introduction to the testing standards and focuses on the skills needed to determine whether a test has been properly conducted and how to read and analyze testing results. Register

In this course, you learn to:

Understand the legal authority for testing in fair housing cases.
Explain the general role testing plays in an investigation and basics of testing methodology.
Describe situations when testing may or may not be effective.
Explain what an investigator should look for in testing data.

Briefing Techniques for Complaint Investigations: A two-day course that trains investigators to summarize the essential elements of a fair housing complaint investigation, ensure a complete investigation, and develop findings and conclusions. Register

In this course, you learn to:

Apply the jurisdictional elements of a fair housing complaint to the facts of an investigation.
Summarize and analyze a complaint’s allegations and the respondent’s defense.
Organize and concisely state the relevant issues of a case.

Fair Housing Investigation Review and Application: A two-day course that uses skills, knowledge and techniques taught in earlier NFHTA sessions on fair housing laws, theories of proof, investigative process and skill, discovery techniques, rules of evidence, negotiating skills, damage calculation and applies these skills in a simulated investigative situation. Register

In this course, you learn to:

Review foundational principles from the Fair Housing Act.
Strengthen your understanding of the rules of evidence.
Review and apply theories of discrimination and theories of proof.
Augment your understanding of the application of the Fair Housing Act to insurance and mortgage lending.

Week Five

Receive hands-on instruction on using TEAPOTS to document an investigation. Learn how to develop a case for litigation and participate in a fair housing trial. Write a comprehensive essay, take the final exam and earn NFHTA certification.

Enroll in Week Five of the NFHTA Core Curriculum Training (HUD Course No. HUDL800004D). Participants funded through the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) must take the courses in sequential order. Week Four must be completed prior to attending Week Five. Register

Courses offered in Week Five:
Writing Cases Using TEAPOTS
Litigating Fair Housing Cases
Take-Home Essay and Final Exam

Writing Cases Using TEAPOTS: A one-day course that includes a half-day of hands-on instruction on how to use the Title VIII Automated Paperless Office Tracking System (TEAPOTS) to document an investigation. The course will focus on using TEAPOTS to write a final investigative report. Register

In this course, you learn to:

Explain the purpose of the fair housing complaint investigation.
Create, revitalize or reconnect with the skills needed to build a solid foundation for the investigation of a fair housing complaint.
Write investigative records, a summary of allegations, an effective witness summary and a document summary.
Identify essential information that should be included in the findings and conclusions of the determination.
Compare summaries of witness statements and document reviews with actual findings and conclusions.

Litigating Fair Housing Cases: A three-day course that provides an understanding of how to develop a case for litigation, including preserving evidence, chain of custody, preparing for a deposition and preparing for effective testimony. The course also gives you an opportunity to participate in, and observe, the trial of a fair housing case. Register

In this course, you learn to:

Explain the purpose and importance of an accurate intake through investigation and analysis of a fair housing complaint.
Analyze a specific mortgage lending case.
Take appropriate steps in preserving documents, other evidence and maintaining a chair of custody.
Identify tips, tools and methods in an investigation that provides the basis for giving effective testimony in a deposition or trial.
Hold a practical hands-on “mock-trail” that enhances factual knowledge of a case form an investigative and legal perspective.

Take Home Essay and Final Exam: Complete the final week of the NFHTA Core Curriculum Training with a comprehensive take-home essay and a final exam during a half-day session.

Accessibility for Investigators

Join the National Fair Housing Training Academy in Washington, D.C. for a two-day course, Accessibility for Investigators. This interactive course provides attorneys, investigators, and educators with a comprehensive overview of the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, and discusses the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act to accessibility in fair housing cases. . Registration Link http://grad.usda.gov/index

This course provides participants with:

the skills and tools necessary to assist investigators and others to identify the application of various accessibility laws,
identify the scoping requirements of these laws,
recognize the applicable accessibility standards, conduct an investigation,
write a determination and identify appropriate remedies.

In Accessibility for Investigators, you learn to:

Investigate the four basic elements of jurisdiction in design and construction cases under the Fair Housing Act.
Identify “covered multifamily dwellings” and the scoping requirements of the Fair Housing Act’s design and construction requirements.
Understand the components of a preliminary investigation of allegations contained in a design and construction complaint.
Understand and describe the use of typical devices to conduct relevant measurements in accessibility cases.
Conduct and document an investigative on-site survey of covered multifamily dwellings for potential violations of the Act.
Recognize potential violations of the ADA and Section 504 during an investigation of Fair Housing Act violations.
Develop skills in recognizing potential defenses to a design and construction complaint and appropriate responses.
Identify the components of a well-written determination in a design and construction case. Be able to draft an agreement containing appropriate remedies for a design and construction case

Register Today

Lending Discrimination and Predatory Lending

Join the National Fair Housing Training Academy in Washington, D.C. for a five-day course, Lending Discrimination and Predatory Lending. This course provides a hands-on approach to investigating complaints of residential mortgage lending discrimination and predatory lending and discusses how to determine the laws and regulations that may provide remedial relief to aggrieved borrowers. This course provides the skills and tools necessary to assist FHAP agencies in addressing the complexities involved in systematically enforcing claims of lending discrimination cases.

In Predatory Discrimination and Predatory Lending, you learn:

Receive practical training processing mortgage lending discrimination complaints, including preparation of an actual investigative plan and data request letter.
Identify and analyze comparable loan files using a lender’s Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Report and applicable loan programs and underwriting standards.
Provide a framework for identifying violations of laws under the umbrella term of “predatory lending”.
Review the various lending laws, including the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), The Home Ownership and Equity Protection Reinvestment Act (CRA), and Title XI of the Financial Institution Reform,Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), and
Determine how to detect violations of these laws from loan file records and other circumstances of a lending transaction.
Identify predatory lending practices subject to challenge under anti-fraud statues, including the FTC Act, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) and state consumer protection statutes.

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The Leadership Challenge Workshop For Fair Housing Leaders

This five day workshop is designed to develop fair housing leadership skills and a comprehensive and cutting edge approach for challenging residential segregation and promoting housing integration. The workshop is about the practices leaders use to foster diversity; promote fair housing; reduce housing discrimination; preserve dignity and human rights; and refuse to tolerate non-compliance. In essence it is about leadership in fair housing and the commitment to justice of fighting discriminatory practices

Participants will learn and translate the five practices of exemplary leaders:
Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision,
Challenge the Process,
Enable Others to Act, and
Encourage the Heart to relate to fair housing.

Each practice will be presented in a module. Model the Ways that will clarify fair housing practices and set the example by aligning action plans. Inspire a Shared Vision will show how to enlist others to build fair housing coalitions to achieve shared aspirations. Challenge the Process involves the ability to search for opportunities to combat discrimination in housing. Enable Others to Act involves the ability to foster collaboration and lead fair housing staffs toward meeting the organization’s vision, mission and goals. Encourage the Heart involves recognizing contributions and celebrating the values and victories in fair housing.

The participants will be able to:

Communicate the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.
Translate the Five Practices to relate to Fair Housing.
Demonstrate the Practices and related Commitments of Leadership through behavior.
Provide direction and support to fair housing customers, teams, colleagues.
Work effectively with diverse generations and cultures in fair housing.
Manage Fair Housing human, financial and information resources strategically influence and negotiate change in the fair housing industry

Register Today