Domestic Violence Survivors and Housing Protection

Domestic violence survivors often face difficulties in obtaining and maintaining housing because of their status as survivors.  The difficulties appear in two forms.  The first is that survivors are denied housing when landlords uncover information that the applicant has experienced domestic violence.  The second is that survivors who experienced intimate partner violence are often evicted or eviction is attempted because of the acts of the partners who cause harm. 

Survivors have some protections in federally subsidized housing.  Federal employees are provided guidelines in assessing domestic violence claims of survivors who are opposing eviction after inicidence of violence by their intimate or former intimate partners. 

There are successes in securing housing controlled by private landlords.