Key changes to the “Violence Against Women Act” (VAWA) went into effect on October 1, after Congress passed and the president signed the “Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act” into law as part of the fiscal year (FY) 2022 spending deal enacted last March (see Memo, 3/9). VAWA supports comprehensive responses and services – including the provision of housing – for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.
Previous iterations of VAWA covered only certain HUD and U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) programs, like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance programs, Section 811 and Section 202 properties, public housing, and housing built using the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, among others. The reauthorized VAWA preserves existing housing provisions but expands housing protections for survivors in other federally subsidized housing units, including housing supported by the national Housing Trust Fund, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing, transitional housing assistance grants, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development multifamily housing programs. The reauthorized act also provides “catch-all” language to ensure all survivors living in federally assisted housing for low- and moderate-income households are covered by VAWA protections.
The VAWA reauthorization also establishes a new Gender-Based Violence Prevention Office at HUD. The office is charged with coordinating and advancing interagency strategies to end gender-based violence and implement VAWA housing provisions. Importantly, the act reaffirms survivors’ right to exercise their rights under VAWA by explicitly prohibiting retaliation and penalties against a survivor for reporting criminal activity of which they are a victim or for which they are not at fault. This prohibition extends to state and local governments receiving Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, which are charged with reporting laws or policies that penalize survivors and certifying VAWA compliance to HUD as part of their annual planning requirements.
Learn more about the provisions in the VAWA reauthorization at: https://tinyurl.com/22h3zuff