The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released guidance regarding implementation of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA). The guidance implements HUD’s final rule at 81 Fed. Reg. 80724.
Highlights of the new rules include:
-Sexual assault is added as a crime covered by VAWA.
-Covered programs must notify tenants in covered programs of their rights under VAWA.
-Covered programs cannot terminate or deny assistance on the basis of or as a direct result of the fact that a tenant or applicant is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
-Public housing authorities (PHAs) must establish emergency transfer plans no later than June 14, 2017.
-Revised the documentation requirements for VAWA coverage including that covered programs can accept a verbal statement, any request for written documentation must be in writing, standards for written statements from service providers and a new HUD-approved certification form (HUD-5382) that covered programs must accept.
-When bifurcating a lease, covered programs must now give remaining family members 30 days to establish their eligibility for HUD programs.
-PHAs are now authorized to have a preference for domestic violence survivors.
-Tenants in the project based voucher program now have the right to move.
(PIH Notice 2017-08, May 19, 2017.)