H.R. 7856: Fair Housing for Survivors Act of 2026
Sponsor
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Democrat · FL-25
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Mar 5, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Why it matters
10 million Americans experience intimate partner violence every year. Three women are killed by a current or former partner every day. When survivors escape, they face a second crisis: landlords can legally deny them housing because of their survivor status. H.R. 7856 would close that gap by adding survivors to the Fair Housing Act.
The bill adds "survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or severe forms of trafficking in persons" to the Fair Housing Act as a protected class — the same law that already covers race, religion, disability, and sex.
Once added, landlords, sellers, lenders, and advertisers can no longer deny housing, change lease terms, refuse a mortgage, or run discriminatory ads based on someone's survivor status. The protection extends to people who are perceived to be survivors — a landlord can't reject an application because they assume someone has experienced abuse, even if they're wrong.
States and cities can still run housing preference programs specifically designed for survivors. And the bill preserves survivors' ability to bring other discrimination claims — including sex-based claims if a policy disproportionately affects women.
The bill also expands criminal enforcement: using force, threats, or coercion against someone in a housing context because of their survivor status triggers existing federal criminal penalties.
What does H.R. 7856 do?
Survivor status becomes a protected class
The bill adds survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and severe trafficking to the Fair Housing Act. This covers discrimination in sales, rentals, lease terms, advertising, and lending — the same protections that currently apply to race, religion, sex, disability, familial status, and national origin.
Perceived survivors are protected too
The protection covers anyone who experienced abuse or trafficking AND anyone perceived to have experienced it. A landlord can't deny housing based on an assumption about someone's history.
Landlords, lenders, and advertisers all covered
The bill covers the full housing chain: rental and sale discrimination, mortgage and financing decisions, housing ads, and representations of availability. A lender can't deny a mortgage because an applicant's credit history shows disruption from fleeing abuse.
Survivor housing preference programs stay legal
Federal, state, and local governments can continue running assistance or preference programs specifically designed to help survivors seek, secure, or maintain housing. The bill explicitly protects these programs from fair housing challenges.
Criminal penalties for threatening survivors over housing
Using force, threats, or coercion against someone because of their survivor status in a housing context triggers existing federal criminal penalties. This addresses a specific problem: landlords pressuring vulnerable survivors — including cases of landlords demanding sex in exchange for rent.
Other discrimination claims preserved
The new protections don't limit a survivor's ability to bring other fair housing claims, including claims based on gender stereotypes or policies that disproportionately affect women.
Who benefits from H.R. 7856?
Survivors denied housing because of their history
Survivors are commonly rejected when a previous address was a DV shelter, when they've secured a protective order, or when there's any evidence of a past violent incident. The bill makes all of those denials illegal.
Women experiencing intimate partner violence
Women facing intimate partner violence are 4 times more likely to experience homelessness. 84% of survivors in domestic violence shelters report needing help finding affordable housing — and more than half who need housing services don't receive them.
Survivors of sexual assault and trafficking
The bill's findings cite 25 million Americans who have experienced sexual violence, at an estimated lifetime cost of $122,000 per survivor. Trafficking survivors — many of whom are exploited by intimate partners — would gain explicit federal housing protection for the first time.
Homeless women with histories of violence
90% of homeless women report having experienced severe physical or sexual violence. Survivors who become homeless are vulnerable to further victimization, including exploitation and trafficking. Stable housing is the exit ramp.
Who is affected by H.R. 7856?
Landlords and property managers
Screening, leasing, and eviction practices would need to comply with the new protected class. Rejecting applicants based on DV shelter addresses, protective orders, or past violent incidents would be illegal.
Mortgage lenders and housing finance companies
Residential real estate transactions are covered. Lenders could not deny or alter financing because an applicant is a survivor or has credit disruption from fleeing abuse.
HUD
The Department of Housing and Urban Development gains a new reporting duty to track progress in eliminating housing discrimination based on survivor status.
Housing advertisers
Ads that exclude or discourage survivors — explicitly or implicitly — would violate the Fair Housing Act.
H.R. 7856 Common Questions
Can a landlord deny housing because you're a domestic violence survivor?
Right now, yes — survivor status isn't a protected class under the Fair Housing Act. H.R. 7856 would change that, making it illegal to deny a sale, rental, or lease based on someone's history as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or trafficking.
What types of violence are covered by the fair housing survivor protections?
Domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, threatened domestic violence, sexual assault, threatened sexual assault, and severe forms of trafficking in persons. The definitions come from the Violence Against Women Act and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Can a mortgage lender reject you for being an abuse survivor?
Not if this bill passes. H.R. 7856 adds survivor status to the Fair Housing Act's protections on residential real estate transactions — covering mortgages, refinancing, and other housing finance.
Are you protected if someone just thinks you're an abuse survivor?
Yes. The bill covers anyone who experienced abuse or trafficking and anyone perceived to have experienced it. A landlord can't reject an applicant based on an assumption about their history.
Can cities still give housing preference to abuse survivors?
Yes. H.R. 7856 explicitly allows federal, state, and local governments to run assistance or preference programs designed to help survivors find and keep housing. The bill protects those programs from fair housing challenges.
What happens if a landlord threatens a survivor over housing?
Federal criminal penalties. The bill amends existing law so that using force, threats, or coercion against someone because of their survivor status in a housing context is a federal crime.
How many people would the fair housing survivor protections affect?
The bill's findings cite 10 million people affected by intimate partner violence annually, 25 million sexual violence survivors in the U.S., and 90% of homeless women reporting severe physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
Based on H.R. 7856 bill text
HR7856 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Mar 5, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
About the Sponsor
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Democrat, Florida's 25th congressional district · 21 years in Congress
Committees: Appropriations
View full profile →
Cosponsors (43)
This bill has 43 cosponsors: 42 Democrats, 1 Republican. Cosponsors represent 22 states: California, District of Columbia, Florida, and 19 more.
Nicole Malliotakis
Republican · NY
Alma Adams
Democrat · NC
Nanette Barragán
Democrat · CA
Joyce Beatty
Democrat · OH
Wesley Bell
Democrat · MO
Sanford Bishop
Democrat · GA
Suzanne Bonamici
Democrat · OR
Nikki Budzinski
Democrat · IL
André Carson
Democrat · IN
Judy Chu
Democrat · CA
Steve Cohen
Democrat · TN
Jim Costa
Democrat · CA
Committee Sponsors
Judiciary Committee
5 of 44 committee members cosponsored
14 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 7856 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Judiciary
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Housing and Community Development
- Introduced
- Mar 5, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Mar 5, 2026
Official Sources
HUD overview of the Fair Housing Act — the statute this bill amends to add survivor status as a protected class
HUD page on existing VAWA housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking
How to file a housing discrimination complaint with HUD — the enforcement mechanism this bill expands
DOJ office that implements VAWA — the bill draws its definitions of domestic violence and sexual assault from VAWA (34 USC 12291)
Statutory definitions of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking that this bill incorporates by reference
Definitions of 'severe forms of trafficking in persons' and 'coercion' that the bill incorporates into the Fair Housing Act
Full text of the Fair Housing Act — sections 3604-3606 are directly amended by this bill to add survivor status
H.R. 7856 Bill Text
“To provide protection for survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and sex trafficking under the Fair Housing Act.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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