If you own or manage a federally assisted housing community, understanding and implementing VAWA housing protections is not just a legal obligation—it’s a commitment to safeguarding vulnerable individuals. The Emergency Transfer Plan and related HUD forms are an essential part of ensuring compliance. VAWA was originally adopted in 2005 and expanded in 2013 to strengthen protections for survivors, regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age. To put these protections into action, the Final Rule issued by HUD in 2016 required property owners and operators to implement an Emergency Transfer Plan—a crucial lifeline for survivors in urgent need of relocation.
By June 14, 2017, all covered housing projects were mandated to have an Emergency Transfer Plan in place, ensuring that survivors could swiftly and safely transfer to another unit when facing imminent harm. The purpose of this plan is to provide survivors facing an immediate threat with a streamlined, efficient process to transfer to a safer unit—either within the same property or to another HUD-assisted location. This plan doesn’t need to be a single, all-encompassing document. Instead, it can be a structured approach integrated across an owner’s adopted Emergency Transfer Plan, Tenant Selection Plan (TSP), and House Rules, as long as all required elements are met.
Are your Emergency Transfer Plan policies up to date? Do you have a clear, structured approach in place to support survivors in your community? Now is the time to review, refine, and reinforce your VAWA compliance efforts.
Let’s work together to create housing environments where safety is a right, not a privilege. For survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, having access to safe, stable housing is essential. That’s why the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Emergency Transfer Plan is a critical requirement for HUD multifamily property owners and managers. If your property is covered under HUD’s VAWA regulations, ensuring compliance with Emergency Transfer Plans (ETPs) and associated documentation isn’t just about meeting legal obligations—it’s about protecting your residents and maintaining a safe community.
Why should you attend?
If you’re unsure whether your Emergency Transfer Plan and associated documents are compliant, don’t wait for an audit to find out. Stay ahead of compliance risks by ensuring your VAWA ETP is up to date and compliant with regulations.
Areas covered in the session:
A compliant VAWA Emergency Transfer Plan should include:
Additionally, your Emergency Transfer Plan does not have to be a single, continuous document—it can be incorporated into other required policies, such as:
Who should attend this:
* There will be time allowed for questions at the end of the presentations. (Live Session)
*Not able to attend the live session? Choose an On-Demand session to watch the session later.
Rhanda McKown is a seasoned affordable housing professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Currently, she serves as Director of Affordable Housing for a non-profit organization covering four states. She spent 15 years working for a Performance Based Contract Administrator (PBCA), where she conducted Management and Occupancy Reviews across Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Rhanda has developed specialized expertise in processing Auto-OCAF rent adjustments, Special Claims, Budget-Based Rent Adjustments, and Contract Renewals.
Her background in HUD funded multifamily affordable housing subsidy programs is extensive, with a specialization in properties that follow HUD Handbook 4350.3 for occupancy guidelines. In addition to her technical expertise, Rhanda has a strong track record in building and coordinating educational programs focused on affordable housing. She has also served as the Director of the Affordable Housing Study Commission for Florida, where she played a key role in understanding and reporting on affordable housing policy and statistics in the state. Rhanda’s experience also includes managing the records retention program for a state housing finance agency (HFA), where she was instrumental in developing the agency’s records retention strategy and served as a liaison for the OnBase© software system.
