On March 7, 2013, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013) was signed into law. The law significantly expanded housing protections to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking across HUD’s core housing and homelessness programs. To implement the law’s new provisions, HUD issued a final rule, which took effect on December 16, 2016. Read HUD’s press release announcing the rule’s publication. The new provisions build a broad set of housing protections into all of HUD’s key programs.

HUD’s regulation applies to all multifamily assisted housing properties, including those with project-based Section 8, Section 202 and 811 supportive housing for the elderly and people with disabilities; Section 236 and 221(d)(3) below market and reduced interest rate programs; and the Section 811 Project Rental Assistance grant program.

The Office of Multifamily Housing issued guidance to owners and management agents of HUD multifamily assisted housing on the requirements of implementation of the rule in HUD housing programs with program notice H 2017-05 on June 30, 2017. The program notice does not encompass all aspects of the rule and should be used in conjunction with the final rule.

To provide additional information on VAWA requirements, HUD produced two training webcasts and accompanying PowerPoint presentations:

July 26, 2017 - VAWA Final Rule Multifamily Housing Owner/Agent Perspective

August 1, 2017 – VAWA Final Rule Multifamily Housing HUD and PBCA Staff Perspective

Multifamily Housing VAWA Questions & Answers

The VAWA 2022 proposed rule and new VAWA 2022 forms will be published late 2024