Article by WRP Staff Attorney Sandra Park published in Clearinghouse Review: Journal of Poverty Law and Policy. In recent years Congress and a small number of states have begun to recognize and codify housing rights for domestic violence victims. However, most tenants in the United States are not covered by laws or policies that expressly prohibit eviction based on violence perpetrated against them. The case of Tanica Lewis, a domestic violence survivor, illustrates how fair housing laws can be used to create new policies that overcome these statutory gaps. The settlement of her case compelled the adoption of a housing policy that incorporates protections beyond those in federal and state law and that affirmatively supports housing stability for victims of violence.
