Debbie Wasserman Schultz wants abuse victims protected from housing discrimination

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz just introduced a bipartisan bill that aims to help more domestic abuse victims avoid housing discrimination.

The Fair Housing for Survivors Act would increase protections first included in the Violence Against Women Act by extending those protections to private housing.

“We cannot continue to force survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking into an impossible choice between forced confinement with their abusers, or living on the streets,” said Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat.

“Even as they face daily abuse and exploitation, people are evicted or denied housing based on the outlandish grounds that they’re involved in criminal activity. Discrimination like this, which overwhelmingly hurts women and children, must end now. So, I’m very proud to work across the aisle to break this cycle of injustice and help people find safe harbor from abuse.”

The legislation as written would add “survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and severe forms of trafficking” to protected classes regarding unfair discrimination and eviction. Right now, those protections only apply to Section 8 and public housing.

Wasserman Schultz filed the House bill with U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a New York Republican. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, has filed a Senate version.

Lawmakers pointed to National Domestic Violence Hotline data that show 35.6% of women have been raped, violently assaulted or stalked by an intimate partner, as have 28.5% of men.

Meanwhile, 84% of those who end up at domestic violence shelters need help finding new housing, but more than half of those seeking help don’t receive it.

The new bill would authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Justice Department to expand protections for domestic violence and rape victims.

“Every survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking deserves a safe place to call home,” Malliotakis said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Fair Housing for Survivors Act to ensure survivors have the necessary resources to rebuild their lives free from abuse, protect them from unfair discrimination in the private housing market and provide them with support to escape abusive environments.”

Shaheen said the legislation could address a major shortcoming that often leaves survivors of abuse with more challenges at a troubling time.

“We know that people who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence and sex-trafficking are more likely to face homelessness. At the federal level, we should be making every effort to help survivors heal — and access to safe, stable housing is a critical component,” Shaheen said.