Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Resources for Homeless Service Providers
Following the re-authorization of VAWA in 2022, HUD shared new VAWA guidance in 2023 and published new HUD-required forms in April 2026. Below are the forms agencies will need to ensure compliance with the new VAWA requirements. Agencies should review and add relevant information where indicated before finalizing the forms.
Forms:
HUD-5380: Notice of Occupancy Rights Under the Violence Against Women Act
Must be provided when an individual is:
– Admitted to a HUD-subsidized unit or program,
– Denied admission to a HUD-subsized unit or program, and
– Receive a notice of eviction from a HUD-subsidized unit or notice of termination from a HUD program.
HUD-5382: Certification of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking
Must be provided to clients alongside the Notice of Occupancy Rights (HUD-5380).
– Given the significant labor required to fill out HUD’s blank model template, UNITY has completed a version tailored to the local context and the procedures commonly followed here for the ease of providers.
– Must be included in an agency’s policies and provided to clients upon request.
Completed by the client, or on behalf of the client, when a VAWA Emergency Transfer is requested.
Emergency Transfer Request Reporting Form – https://forms.gle/tPTbXy2QkAR5gcxb6
– Each housing program needs to report all VAWA transfer requests.
– Submit information using the form after a decision has been made on a transfer request. The form will require the provider to submit de-identified information about the date of the request, the date of the decision, and whether the request was approved or denied.
– This includes internal transfer requests, when the participant may move to a different unit within the same program, as well as external transfer requests.
VAWA Client Authorization Release of Information Sample Form
In order for information about a client’s experience of VAWA violence/abuse to be shared with others or put into a database shared with others, the client must provide written permission to do so for a limited time. This one-page sample can be used for this purpose.
Translations of each HUD form into different languages can be found in this Google Folder: VAWA Translated Forms 2025
Learn more about VAWA at https://www.hud.gov/vawa.