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OVW Grantees

NHLP provides free technical assistance and training to Office on Violence against Women (OVW) grantees. NHLP has provided numerous trainings and extensive technical assistance on the housing provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Fair Housing Act, and state law housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault.

Some of the services we offer OVW grantees include:

• Technical assistance via phone or email regarding survivors' housing protections
• Web-based and conference-call trainings on common housing issues that survivors face
• Information and materials, such as fact sheets, advocacy materials- and training curricula

This section contains materials NHLP has prepared for OVW grantees, including information packets, training curricula, and newsletters.

NHLP is pleased to announce the publication of "Maintaining Safe and Stable Housing for Domestic Violence Survivors: A Manual for Attorneys and Advocates."

The Manual focuses on the rights of survivors who are facing loss of housing, who need to improve the safety of their housing, or who need to relocate. Some of the topics addressed include changing the locks; breaking the lease; defending against evictions and subsidy terminations; seeking remedies for housing discrimination; reasonable accommodations for survivors with disabilities; and the housing protections of the Violence Against Women Act.

The Appendices to the Manual contain a number of sample advocacy documents, including letters, pleadings, and housing policies.

The Manual is available here. Access to the Appendices is limited to legal services programs and Office on Violence against Women grantees. These programs should contact mschultzman@nhlp.org to obtain the Appendices.


Materials

Brochure: Know Your Rights in Assisted Housing: The Violence Against Women Act

This brochure is designed for tenants living in federally subsidized housing and includes basic information on the housing protections of the Violence Against Women Act.

VAWA Brochure (English)

VAWA Brochure (Spanish)

Assisting Survivors of Domestic Violence in Applying for Housing

This Manual provides a comprehensive review of domestic violence survivors’ rights in applying for housing. It includes information on the subsidized housing application process, common barriers to housing that survivors face, and strategies for challenging denials of housing.

State Law Compendium: Housing Rights of Domestic Violence Survivors

This Compendium compiles state and local laws that affect domestic violence survivors’ housing rights. It is designed to serve as a starting point for advocates seeking to conduct research on the housing protections that their state laws offer for domestic violence survivors.

VAWA Housing Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to provide advocates with an overview of VAWA’s housing provisions and includes:

  • Recent legal developments
  • Sample advocacy materials, including pleadings and demand letters
  • A statutory compendium of VAWA’s housing provisions
  • Administrative guidance, such as VAWA notices and forms published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Newsletters

Each month, NHLP publishes a newsletter on a variety of current housing issues that affect survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Past issues of the newsletter are available here.

Brochure: Breaking Your Lease to Escape Violence (California Only)

This brochure applies to California tenants only and explains the state’s law permitting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking to terminate their leases early.

Brochure: Sexual Harassment and Housing

This brochure contains basic information on the rights and options of tenants who have experienced sexual harassment in rental housing.

Trainings and Webinars

Materials and recordings from NHLP’s past trainings for Legal Assistance for Victims grantees are available here.

Upcoming Webinar:

Domestic and Sexual Violence and Housing Authority Plans
On February 15, 2012, at 2 p.m. Eastern the National Housing Law Project will present “Domestic and Sexual Violence and Housing Authority Plans.” The webinar is free and will last 90 minutes. Public housing authority (PHA) plans affect domestic and sexual violence survivors in many ways. These local plans set forth a PHA's preferences in selecting among housing applicants; the criteria the PHA will use to screen applicants; the factors the PHA will consider in assigning housing assistance after a family breaks up; the PHA's policies for allowing families to relocate to other subsidized housing; and many other important practices. This webinar will discuss how advocates can get involved with the PHA plan process and support policies that increase housing access for domestic and sexual violence survivors.

More information and registration instructions are available HERE.