VAWA in LIHTC Research

The implementation of VAWA in LIHTC has been slow and uneven by state agencies administering LIHTC. Whether a survivor can access VAWA protections can feel like the luck of the draw based upon where you live. You can learn more about how your state is doing by visiting our Research Results for VAWA Rights and VAWA Best Practices or by learning more about how we can help with additional research.
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After an extended review of state Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs) and Compliance Manuals (CMs), we have identified national trends across the country in the implementation of VAWA in LIHTC:
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1) The number of states that mention VAWA in their QAP or CM increased significantly between 2015-2020.
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2) Only about half of the states across the country articulate any of the key VAWA protections in the QAP or CM.
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3) Best practices related to monitoring VAWA compliance by owners/managers and enforcement of VAWA rights are the least likely to show up in QAPs or CMs.
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The maps below show those states where we could find no reference to VAWA housing rights or best practices in the most recent QAP or CM available in the fall of 2020. Please note, agencies may have additional practices or materials (such as websites) that address VAWA. Our review was limited to which agencies addressed VAWA in their key public-facing program documents.