,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #abic ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #bf1 #bjbc,mrs4 ,shaheen introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to provide protection for survivors of domestic violence1 sexual violence1 and sex trafficking under the ,fair ,housing ,act4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,fair ,housing for ,survivors ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,cities1 towns1 and rural communities in the ,united ,states continue to face enormous challenges regarding domestic violence1 sexual assault1 sex trafficking1 dating violence1 stalking1 and other forms of intimate partner and gender-based violence4 7#b7 ,one in three women and one in ten men in the ,united ,states have experienced rape1 physical violence1 or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime4 7#c7 ,intimate partner violence alone affects more than #ab1jjj1jjj people in the ,united ,states every year4 7#d7 ,approximately #g1jjj1jjj women are raped or physically assaulted by a current or former intimate partner each year4 7#e7 ,among women experiencing sex trafficking1 many of their traffickers are also their intimate partners4 7#f7 ,each day1 an average of three women are killed by a current or former partner4 7#g7 ,researchers estimate that domestic violence costs employers up to #ac1jjj1jjj1jjj each year4 7#h7 ,a fundamental component of ending domestic and sexual violence is securing safe and affordable housing for survivors4 7#i7 ,research indicates that3 7,a7 ,as many as fifty-seven percent of homeless women report that domestic violence was the immediate cause of their homelessness4 7,b7 ,ninety-two percent of homeless women report having experienced severe physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives1 including sexual exploitation and trafficking4 7,c7 ,eighty-four percent of survivors in domestic violence shelters reported that they needed help finding affordable housing4 ,the ,national ,network to ,end ,domestic ,violence's ,,dv ,counts ,report finds that the majority of survivors' unmet needs are related to housing and shelter4 ,in another nationwide study1 more than half of the victims who identified a need for housing services did not receive them4 7,d7 ,survivors who become homeless as a result of sexual assault are vulnerable to further sexual victimization and exploitation including sex trafficking4 7,e7 ,women of color in the lowest income category experience six times the rate of nonfatal intimate partner violence compared to white women in the highest income category4 7,f7 ,poor women of color1 domestic violence survivors1 and women with children are among those at the highest risk of eviction4 7,g7 ,housing insecurity can exacerbate survivors' vulnerability4 ,women and men who experienced food or housing insecurity in a #ab-month period had a significantly higher prevalence of rape1 physical violence1 or stalking by an intimate partner in that same time period1 as compared to those who did not experience food or housing insecurity4 7,h7 ,vulnerable women are also at risk of sex trafficking and exploitation by landlords who pressure them for sex in exchange for rent or a delay in rent payments4 7,i7 ,approximately thirty-eight percent of all survivors of domestic violence become homeless at some point in their life4 7#aj7 ,surveys show that a majority of survivors who experience a sexual assault in their home do not relocate to a safe environment because they do not have sufficient funds and are not aware of better options4 7#aa7 ,domestic and sexual violence survivors often find themselves trapped in homes where they are further victimized by caregivers1 parents1 siblings1 landlords1 intimate partners1 neighbors1 or others in or near their home4 ,economic insecurity and the trauma that often follows sexual violence make it difficult1 if not impossible1 for many survivors to access safe1 affordable housing options for themselves and their families4 7#ab7 ,domestic and sexual violence survivors continue to face discrimination in securing and maintaining housing based on their status as survivors and as a result of crimes committed against them4 7#ac7 ,research by the ,attorney ,general of the ,state of ,new ,york found that sixty-seven percent of domestic violence survivors reported that discrimination by landlords is a significant obstacle in obtaining housing4 7#ad7 ,research also shows that survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault are commonly denied housing opportunities if a previous residence of the survivor was a domestic violence shelter1 if the survivor has secured a protective order1 or if there is other evidence that the survivor has experienced a previous domestic violence incident4 7#ae7 ,studies show that survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault often face eviction based on a single domestic violence incident4 7#af7 ,survivors of sex trafficking face additional challenges in obtaining and maintaining housing due to criminal records incurred as a direct result of their exploitation4 7#ag7 ,it is in the public interest to ensure that survivors of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 sex trafficking1 dating violence1 stalking1 and other forms of intimate partner and gender-based violence are not discriminated against1 particularly with respect to housing1 based on their status as victims of the crimes committed against them4 #c4 ,survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault as protected class under the ,fair ,housing ,act 7a7 ,in general ,the ,fair ,housing ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfja et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 in section #hjb 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfjb71 by adding at the end the following3 7p7 ,domestic violence-- 7#a7 has the meaning given the term in section #djjjb7;a7 of the ,violence ,against ,women ,act of #aiid 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #abbia7;a772 and 7#b7 includes-- 7,a7 dating violence and stalking1 as such terms are defined in such section #djjjb7;a72 and 7,b7 threatened domestic violence4 7q7 ,sexual assault-- 7#a7 has the meaning given the term in section #djjjb7;a7 of the ,violence ,against ,women ,act of #aiid 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #abbia7;a772 and 7#b7 includes threatened sexual assault4 7r7 ,severe forms of trafficking in persons has the meaning given the term in section #ajc of the ,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,act of #bjjj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #gajb74 7s7 ,coercion has the meaning given the term in section #ajc of the ,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,act of #bjjj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #gajb74 7t7 ,survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons includes any person who experienced or is perceived to have experienced domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons4 2 7#b7 in section #hjd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfjd7-- 7,a7 in subsection 7a71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 7,b7 in subsection 7b71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 7,c7 in subsection 7c71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 7,d7 in subsection 7d71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 and 7,e7 in subsection 7e71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 7#c7 in section #hje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfje7-- 7,a7 in subsection 7a71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 and 7,b7 in subsection 7c71 by striking or familial status and inserting familial status1 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 7#d7 in section #hjf 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfjf71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 7#e7 in section #hjg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfjg71 by adding at the end the following3 7c7 ,nothing in this title shall prohibit a ,federal1 ,state1 unit of local government1 or other assistance or preference program from being designed to assist or benefit survivors of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons in seeking1 securing1 or maintaining dwellings1 shelters1 or any other form of housing for such survivors1 including associated notices1 statements1 or advertisements of such dwelling4 2 and 7#f7 in section #hjh7;e77#f7 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfjh7;e77#f771 by inserting status as a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons1 after handicap14 7b7 ,prevention of intimidation in fair housing cases ,the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acja et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 in section #ija 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfca7-- 7,a7 in the matter preceding subsection 7a71 by inserting or coercion after threat of force2 7,b7 in subsection 7a71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or because the person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 7,c7 in subsection 7b77#a71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or because a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 and 7,d7 in subsection 7c71 by striking or national origin and inserting national origin1 or because a person is a survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons2 and 7#b7 by inserting after section #ija the following3 #ijb4 ,definitions ,in this title1 the terms domestic violence1 sexual assault1 severe forms of trafficking in persons1 coercion1 and survivor of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons shall have the meaning given such terms in section #hjb4 4 7c7 ,preservation of survivors' ability ,to recover for other forms of discrimination ,nothing in this ,act1 or an amendment made by this ,act1 shall be interpreted to limit the ability of survivors of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or severe forms of trafficking in persons to recover for any other claims of discrimination under the ,fair ,housing ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cfja et seq471 including with respect to failure to conform to gender stereotypes or policies that disproportionately affect women4