On January 5, 2006, President Bush signed The Violence Against Women Act and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (VAWA) into law as Public Law 109-162. VAWA prohibits the eviction of, and removal of assistance from, certain persons living in public or Section 8-assisted housing if the asserted grounds for such action is an instance of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, as those terms are defined in Section 3 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 as amended by VAWA (42 U.S.C 13925).



Section 606 of VAWA requires the issuance of a "HUD approved certification form" for victims of abuse to use in the event that a PHA or Section 8 owner requests (as they may under the Act) that a victim of abuse certify that the alleged incidents of abuse are bona fide. The HUD approved certification form is provided below:


Certification of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, or Stalking (PDF) (SEE ATTACHED PDF)