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Adds survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and severe forms of trafficking to the list of protected classes under the Fair Housing Act and related anti‑intimidation rules. The bill bars housing providers and housing programs from discriminating against people because they are survivors and explicitly allows housing programs to design and target assistance for survivors while preserving survivors' right to bring other legal claims.
The bill strengthens rights and housing access for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking—creating new protections and targeted housing assistance—but does so at the cost of higher compliance and enforcement burdens, potential shifts in limited housing and service resources,
Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking are explicitly protected from being denied housing or treated worse because of their survivor status.
More survivors may gain access to safe, affordable housing through policies and targeted preferences or assistance aimed at helping them find and maintain housing.
Survivors gain additional legal remedies—such as intimidation and interference claims—giving them new ways to address harassment or threats tied to their survivor status.
Reducing barriers to stable housing for survivors could lower costs to employers and the economy tied to domestic and sexual violence (the bill cites large annual employer costs).
Landlords and housing providers will face increased compliance requirements and legal exposure as the new protections are enforced, which could raise operating costs that are ultimately passed on to renters.
Prioritizing housing for survivors could shift limited funding toward housing and away from other essential survivor services (legal aid, counseling) unless budgets are increased.
Documenting high prevalence and expanding outreach may increase demand for shelters and supportive programs, potentially straining existing capacity if additional resources are not provided.
Targeted housing preferences or set-asides for survivors could reduce the supply of units available to other applicants, increasing competition for limited affordable housing stock.
States that cities, towns, and rural communities in the United States face major challenges from domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, dating violence, stalking, and other intimate partner and gender-based violence.
Finds that one in three women and one in four men in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Finds that intimate partner violence affects more than 10,000,000 people in the United States every year.
Finds that among women experiencing sex trafficking, many traffickers are also their intimate partners.
Finds that on average three women are killed each day by a current or former partner.
Directly affected groups include survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and severe trafficking who seek housing or housing assistance. Renters and people seeking housing will gain an added legal protection against denial, eviction, or other adverse housing actions because of survivor status. Housing providers, landlords, public housing authorities, and agencies that run federal housing programs must update policies and practices to comply; they may also need staff training and revised intake, recordkeeping, and confidentiality protocols. Nonprofit service providers and legal aid groups that assist survivors may see increased demand for help navigating housing claims and for implementing survivor‑targeted programs. Courts and HUD complaint processes will receive and adjudicate claims brought under the expanded protection. The bill does not allocate implementation funding, so some entities may face administrative costs to change policies and train staff without new federal dollars.
Adds new definitional subsections (designated (p) through (t)) to section 3602 defining 'domestic violence', 'sexual assault', 'severe forms of trafficking in persons', 'coercion', and 'survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons', and specifying that the terms include dating violence, stalking, threatened domestic violence/sexual assault, and persons perceived to have experienced such harms.
Amends subsections (a)–(e) of section 3604 by replacing occurrences of 'or national origin' with the phrase 'national origin, or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons', thereby adding survivor status as a protected characteristic across those prohibitions.
Amends section 3605: in subsection (a) inserts 'national origin, or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons' in place of 'or national origin'; and in subsection (c) inserts 'familial status, or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons' in place of 'or familial status'.
Amends section 3606 by striking 'or national origin' and inserting 'national origin, or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons', thereby extending the nondiscrimination requirement for access to multiple-listing services, brokers' organizations, and related services to include survivor status.
Adds a new subsection (c) to section 3607 stating that nothing in the title shall prohibit Federal, State, local, or other assistance or preference programs from being designed to assist or benefit survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons in seeking, securing, or maintaining housing, including related notices, statements, or advertisements.
Specifies an insertion into 3608(e)(6) (the amendment text indicates insertion 'by inserting after .' but the text to be inserted is not provided in the section as supplied).
Amends section 901 (42 U.S.C. 3631) to replace occurrences of 'or national origin' with 'national origin, or because the person is a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons' in the relevant subsections, and inserts a new section (902) after section 901 providing that the terms 'domestic violence', 'sexual assault', 'severe forms of trafficking in persons', 'coercion', and 'survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons' have the meanings given in section 802 (42 U.S.C. 3602).
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced March 5, 2026 by Debbie Wasserman Schultz · Last progress March 5, 2026
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House