146 
lected by the Attorney General in consultation 
with the Secretary and ACYF. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity seeking a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
Attorney General at such a time, in such a manner, and 
containing such information as the Attorney General may 
require. 
‘‘(e) CERTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A public housing agency, 
Indian housing authority, or assisted housing pro-
vider receiving funds under this section may request 
that an individual claiming relief under this section 
certify that the individual is a victim of domestic vio-
lence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. 
The individual shall provide a copy of such certifi-
cation to the public housing agency, Indian housing 
authority, or assisted housing provider within a rea-
sonable period of time after the agency or authority 
requests such certification. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—An individual may satisfy the 
certification requirement of paragraph (1) by— 
‘‘(A) providing the public housing agency, 
Indian housing authority, or assisted housing 
provider with documentation, signed by an em-
ployee, agent, or volunteer of a victim service
147 
provider, an attorney, a member of the clergy, 
a medical professional, or any other professional 
from whom the victim has sought assistance in 
addressing domestic violence, dating violence, 
sexual assault, or stalking or the effects of 
abuse; or 
‘‘(B) producing a Federal, State, tribal, 
territorial, or local police or court record. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this subsection 
shall be construed to require any housing agency, as-
sisted housing provider, Indian housing authority, 
owner, or manager to demand that an individual 
produce official documentation or physical proof of 
the individual’s status as a victim of domestic vio-
lence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, in 
order to receive any of the benefits provided in this 
section. A housing authority may provide benefits to 
an individual based solely on the individual’s state-
ment or other corroborating evidence. 
‘‘(4) CONFIDENTIALITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—All information pro-
vided to any housing agency, assisted housing 
provider, Indian housing authority, owner, or 
manager pursuant to paragraph (1), including 
the fact that an individual is a victim of domes-
148 
tic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or 
stalking, shall be retained in the strictest con-
fidence by such housing authority, and shall 
neither be entered into any shared database, 
nor provided to any related housing agency, as-
sisted housing provider, Indian housing author-
ity, owner, or manager, except to the extent 
that disclosure is— 
‘‘(i) requested or consented to by the 
individual in writing; or 
‘‘(ii) otherwise required by applicable 
law. 
‘‘(B) NOTIFICATION.—An individual shall 
be notified of the limits of such confidentiality 
and informed in advance about circumstances 
in which the housing agency, assisted housing 
provider, Indian housing authority, owner, or 
manager will be compelled to disclose the indi-
vidual’s information. 
‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants and contracts awarded 
pursuant to subsection (a) shall provide to eligible entities 
personnel, training, and technical assistance to develop 
and implement policies, practices, and procedures, making 
physical improvements or changes, and developing or en-
hancing collaborations for the purposes of—
149 
‘‘(1) enabling victims of domestic violence, dat-
ing violence, sexual assault, and stalking with other-
wise disqualifying rental, credit, or criminal histories 
to be eligible to obtain housing or housing assist-
ance, if such victims would otherwise qualify for 
housing or housing assistance and can provide docu-
mented evidence information that demonstrates the 
causal connection between such violence or abuse 
and the victims’ negative histories; 
‘‘(2) permitting applicants for housing or hous-
ing assistance to provide incomplete rental and em-
ployment histories, otherwise required as a condition 
of admission or assistance, if the victim believes that 
providing such rental and employment history would 
endanger the victim’s or the victim’s children safety; 
‘‘(3) protecting victims’ confidentiality, includ-
ing protection of victims’ personally identifying in-
formation, address, or rental history; 
‘‘(4) assisting victims who need to leave a pub-
lic housing, Indian housing, or assisted housing unit 
quickly to protect their safety, including those who 
are seeking transfer to a new public housing unit, 
Indian housing or assisted housing unit, whether in 
the same or a different neighborhood or jurisdiction;
150 
‘‘(5) enabling the public housing agency, Indian 
housing authority, or assisted housing provider, or 
the victim to remove consistent with applicable State 
law the perpetrator of domestic violence, dating vio-
lence, sexual assault, or stalking without evicting, re-
moving, or otherwise penalizing the victim; 
‘‘(6) enabling the public housing agency, Indian 
housing authority, or assisted housing provider to 
comply with court orders, including civil protection 
orders issued to protect the victim, when notified 
and issued to address the distribution or possession 
of property among the household members in cases 
where a family breaks up; 
‘‘(7) developing and implementing more effec-
tive security policies, protocols, and services; 
‘‘(8) allotting not more than 15 percent of 
funds awarded under the grant to make physical im-
provements or changes; 
‘‘(9) training all personnel to more effectively 
identify and respond to victims of domestic violence, 
dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and 
‘‘(10) effectively providing notice to applicants 
and residents of the above housing policies, prac-
tices, and procedures.