Overview
The Affordable Housing Professionals Certification Program is a cooperative endeavor between the Center for Government Services (CGS) at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and the Affordable Housing Professionals of New Jersey (AHPNJ). It is a professional development course of study for individuals who work toward the support and provision of affordable housing, covering federally-funded programs as well as the state regulatory program.
The mission of AHPNJ is:
- to promote and enhance professionalism and knowledge in the field by supporting affordable housing through dialogue, ethical standards, education, advocacy and policy guidance;
- to establish “best practices” for housing procedure and protocol in the interrelated fields of administrative agents, architects, developers, property managers, state and municipal employees, non-profit and for-profit corporations, human/social service providers, financial institutions, planners and attorneys;
- to establish resources for professional assistance;
- to promote competency and expertise in the affordable housing industry that is desirable to employers, peers, advocates and clients;
- and to promote compassion in the agencies and individuals that support the provision of affordable housing.
Request Duplicate Certificate | Recertification Guidelines and Application
Certificate Requirements
To qualify for the Rutgers/AHPNJ certificate, participants must successfully complete 36 hours of classroom training. Successful completion is defined as 80% attendance of the class hours and a passing grade of 70% or higher on the final examination.
The four required courses total 27 hours. The remaining nine hours are accrued from electives approved by CGS and AHPNJ.
Required Courses
- Introduction to Affordable Housing for NJ Municipalities
- Determining Eligibility for Affordable Housing Programs
- Fair Housing
- Ethics for Affordable Housing Professionals
Approved Elective Courses
- Qualifying Households for Affordable Housing
- Planning and Development of Affordable Housing (offered in Rutgers NJ Local Housing Authority and Redevelopment Agency Training Program)
- Records Management for Affordable Housing
- Municipal Process for Residential Development
- Best Practices in Affordable Housing
- Practicum on setting Sales Prices and Rental Rates Under UHAC
AHP Certificate of Completion
Upon successful completion of Affordable Housing Professional required and approved elective courses, a student may apply for an AHP Certificate of Completion, which must be renewed every (3) years, by clicking on the following link https://forms.office.com/r/pCUk8iL6rZ and completing the application form. Certificates of completion will be sent out in January and July for those who complete an application. You may also download the attached Course Tracker, on the website, to help track your courses as you complete each class. COVID-19 renewal certification extensions are NO longer being granted as of 2023.