When Nikkisha bravely stood up to her abusive boyfriend and got a protection order against him, she faced a repercussion she never expected: She was denied housing because of her history as a domestic violence survivor. With two children and a third on the way, Nikkisha became homeless, bouncing from shelter to shelter and washing up at a restaurant.
When tenant screening reports include domestic violence records, stories like Nikkisha's are all too common. This family's experience is a powerful example of the need to break down housing barriers and keep domestic violence records off of tenant reports. Fortunately, state lawmakers are close to enacting legislation that will help protect domestic violence survivors like Nikkisha from discrimination when they apply for housing. The Fair Tenant Screening Act has received bipartisan support, and is on its way to becoming law.
Read more about Nikkisha, and learn how you can help ensure other domestic violence survivors don't face the same housing barriers that she did.
