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Moving to Protect Your Safety The housing authority may permit you to move and still keep your rental assistance, even if your current lease has not yet expired. The housing authority may require that you be current on your rent or other obligations in the housing choice voucher program. The housing authority may ask you to provide proof that you are moving because of incidences of abuse. Proving That You Are a Victim of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking The housing authority and your landlord can ask you to prove or "certify" that you are a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The housing authority or your landlord must give you at least 14 business days (i.e., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays do not count) to provide this proof. The housing authority and your landlord are free to extend the deadline. There are three ways you can prove that you are a victim: • Complete the certification form given to you by the housing authority or your landlord. The form will ask for your name, the name of your abuser, the abuser's relationship to you, the date, time, and location of the incident of violence, and a description of the violence. You are only required to provide the name of the abuser if it is safe to provide and you know their name. • Provide a statement from a victim service provider, attorney, mental health professional, or medical professional who has helped you address incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The professional must state that he or she believes that the incidents of abuse are real. Both you and the professional must sign the statement, and both of you must state that you are signing "under penalty of perjury." • Provide a police or court record, such as a protective order, or an administrative record. Additionally, at its discretion, the housing authority can accept a statement or other evidence provided by the applicant or tenant. If you fail to provide one of these documents within the required time, the landlord may evict you, and the housing authority may terminate your rental assistance. Confidentiality The housing authority and your landlord must keep confidential any information you provide about the violence against you, unless: • You give written permission to the housing authority or your landlord to release the information. • Your landlord needs to use the information in an eviction proceeding, such as to evict your abuser. • A law requires the housing authority or your landlord to release the information. If release of the information would put your safety at risk, you should inform the housing authority and your landlord. VAWA and Other Laws