What is HACB?
Homelessness Advocate Certification Board
About us
Our Vision
A world without homelessness. We envision communities where every individual is supported, valued, and housed. Through advocacy and collaboration, we strive to make homelessness a thing of the past, creating a future where everyone has a place to call home.
Our Mission
Empowering advocates, certifying change. Our mission is to equip a diverse community of advocates with the tools and standards needed to address homelessness effectively, fostering systemic change and ensuring access to safe housing for all.
Acknowledgement
At the Homelessness Advocate Certification Board (HACB), we strive to establish standards and practices that reflect the collective wisdom and diversity of our professional community. Our publicly released documents are the result of tireless volunteer efforts from a wide array of board members, task force members, practitioners, educators, and professionals. Drawing upon a multitude of sources and personal experiences, our process involves thorough research, robust discussion, drafting, review, editing, critique, public comment, and finalization before publication on the HACB website.
The development of HACB’s Ethical Standards, Competencies, and Best Practices is an ongoing evolution that builds upon the groundwork laid by our predecessors in the field of homelessness advocacy. We owe a debt of gratitude to the individuals and organizations that pioneered the principles and standards of homelessness advocacy. Second is the pioneering hardwork and diligence of the HACB’s Executive Director Danya Mitchell , has inspired and guided our independent efforts.
Compliance and Enforcement
HACB’s mission is to benefit the public by granting the HACB certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for the competent and ethical practice of homelessness advocacy.
HACB is committed to ensuring that individuals receiving assistance from Board Certified Homelessness Advocates are treated with respect and professionalism. To maintain the integrity of the HACB certification, HACB requires all certified advocates to adhere to a strict Code of Professional Conduct.
If you suspect that a certified advocate has acted inappropriately, you have the option to report your concerns to HACB’s Compliance Committee. However, it’s essential to provide substantial evidence to support your claim, as mere disagreements or unsupported allegations won’t be sufficient grounds for investigation.
Rest assured that HACB thoroughly investigates all complaints against certified advocates. If there’s reasonable cause to believe a violation has occurred, the Compliance Committee will recommend appropriate action to the Executive Committee for review.
It’s important to note that HACB’s authority is limited to the certification and standards for homelessness advocates. Any disciplinary actions taken are focused on maintaining the integrity of the HACB certification.