Thousands of Arizona renters have been evicted – and will continue to be evicted – because the eviction process moves faster than cities and counties are delivering emergency rental assistance (ERA), reports the Arizona Republic. Arizona law allows landlords to initiate an eviction five days after a rent payment is missed, but ERA can take weeks or even months to reach a renter. Despite an unprecedented amount of available ERA, eviction filings across Arizona rose to about 91% of pre-pandemic levels in the first three months of 2022.
The Arizona Republic reports that Arizona voluntarily redistributed $88 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) funds to other jurisdictions across the state that had spent their first round of ERA funding and needed additional funds. State officials said they recognized that the amount of ERA allocated to Arizona was more than what was needed to help Arizona’s rural renters and chose to voluntarily redistribute the excess funds to Maricopa County, Chandler, Glendale, Mesa, Pima County, and Tucson.
The City of Tucson and Pima County received $22 million in reallocated ERA funds that were recaptured from the state and redistributed to several municipalities. Pima County and Tucson work together to administer the Eviction Prevention/Rental Assistance and Utility Relief Program, which has already delivered more than $50 million in rental assistance and nearly $5 million in utility aid.
The number of Arizonans fearing eviction has increased sharply since an eviction moratorium ended in September 2021, while advocates are claiming federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) funds have not reached tenants fast enough. Sonya Acosta, a policy analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, noted that state and local agencies did not have the infrastructure in place prior to the pandemic that would have accelerated the distribution of ERA. Housing advocacy groups are focusing on establishing long-term assistance that will extend past the end of the pandemic.
Updated on February 28, 2022
A Phoenix real estate attorney was put on probation in December 2021 for filing eviction cases against renters who were protected by the federal CARES Act eviction moratorium. The Arizona Republic says the attorney is the first to be disciplined following the newspaper’s 2020 investigation, which found 900 evictions were filed against Maricopa County renters who should have been protected by the CARES Act.
Updated on January 25, 2022
The Washington Post reports on the expiration of Phoenix’s last COVID-related eviction moratorium, sharing stories of tenants forced from their homes. One Maricopa County constable has carried out more than 300 evictions since the CDC eviction moratorium expired in August.
Updated on December 20, 2021
Eviction filings are increasing across Arizona but remain below pre-pandemic levels as agencies improve the distribution of emergency rental assistance.
Updated on December 13, 2021
Rental assistance has been a lifeline for many Arizonans throughout the pandemic, but the various rental programs established over the past year have different regulations and restrictions, creating confusion for tenants and landlords. Rent relief is needed more than ever as eviction filings in Maricopa County have doubled since the federal eviction moratorium ended in August.
Updated on November 22, 2021
According to the Arizona Republic, the board that oversees Arizona’s elected constables – who play a key role during the eviction process – has close ties to the most influential landlord group in the state. The relationship drew new scrutiny during the pandemic when constables played an even more critical role in the eviction process, at times deciding whether renters qualified for eviction moratoriums.
Updated on November 15, 2021
A website launched last year to help Arizona tenants find rental assistance and legal aid – AZevictionhelp.org – has helped over 100,000 people. The website uses targeted advertising on social media to reach people who live in zip codes where many people are rent-burdened.
Homeless service providers in Phoenix report an increased demand for services, largely due to the end of the federal eviction moratorium and the region’s worsening affordable housing crisis. Providers report seeing significant increases in first-time homelessness.
Updated on November 8, 2021
Arizona has spent only 5% of the $568 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) funds. According to the Eviction Lab, there have been nearly 53,000 evictions filed in Maricopa County since the pandemic started. Of those filings, 743 occurred in the last week of September after the eviction moratorium ended.
Updated on October 25, 2021
An estimated 77,000 (13%) renter households in Maricopa County are at risk for eviction. The estimated number of households behind on rent has increased since July when approximately 65,600 households were behind.
Updated on October 12, 2021
The Phoenix Family Services Center is expanding its capacity to expedite distribution of emergency rental assistance (ERA). The city began hiring for 50 additional positions to help ensure clients can apply for and receive ERA. The center is now open Monday through Saturday from 7 am to 6 pm.
Updated on October 5, 2021
Maricopa County is launching a $2.6 million program to provide free legal aid to renters facing eviction during the pandemic. The program will be funded through the county’s American Rescue Plan Act Fiscal Recovery Fund allocation.
Updated on September 27, 2021
The Arizona Republic reports a relatively small number of landlords have accounted for a large share of eviction filings in Maricopa County. According to analysis from the Eviction Lab, the top 100 property owners with the most eviction filings in Maricopa County are responsible for more than one-quarter of the total filings since the end of June and more than 20% of all eviction filings since the beginning of the pandemic.
Updated on September 21, 2021
As of September 5, more than 24,000 eviction cases have been filed in Maricopa County this year, and the number is expected to rise due to the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the federal eviction moratorium.
Updated on September 14, 2021
Researchers with the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at Arizona State University estimate that 80,000 households in the metro-Phoenix area will be at risk for eviction with the federal eviction moratorium lifted.
Updated on August 3, 2021
In Phoenix, about $32 million of the $51 million the city received in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) remains to be distributed. With the federal eviction moratorium expiring soon, the city is racing to distribute ERA to tenants in need. Housing advocates fear a flood of eviction filings in Phoenix, a city that regularly tops lists for the highest number of eviction filings nationwide, when the moratorium expires on July 31.
Updated on July 26, 2021
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, there have been nearly 44,000 eviction filings in Maricopa County. Despite the federal eviction moratorium, nearly 18,000 evictions have been filed in the county this year. An article in the Arizona Republic outlines three actions metro Phoenix can take to prevent a surge of evictions after the CDC moratorium ends: quickly distribute federal emergency rental assistance, require landlords to participate in mediation before filing evictions, and provide free legal aid for tenants facing eviction.
Updated on July 22, 2021
Governor Doug Ducey announced $500 million of federal funds to combat homelessness in Arizona. The funds come from the December 2020 COVID-19 relief package and the American Rescue Plan.
Updated on June 4, 2021
An article in the Arizona Mirror addresses the avalanche of evictions Arizona will face when the federal eviction moratorium expires on June 30. Despite the state and federal moratoriums, evictions have continued throughout the U.S. and across Arizona. In Maricopa and Pima counties, eviction actions are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.
Updated on April28, 2021
ABC Arizona found that thousands of eviction cases are still being filed each month in Arizona, despite the federal eviction moratorium. New data from Maricopa County shows that more than 3,000 eviction cases were filed in April 2021.
Updated on April 17, 2021
The AZEvictionHelp website, published by the Arizona Bar Foundation, lists agencies and programs that can help those facing eviction navigate the legal system, find financial assistance, and match them with support services.
Renters and landlords in 12 Arizona counties may now apply for rent and utility assistance through the DES Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Maricopa, Pima, and Yuma counties are administering their own programs, along with several municipalities throughout the state.
Pima County will use $2 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for legal counsel for families facing eviction. In 2019 and 2020, 95% of eviction proceedings in Pima County went forward without a tenant, meaning there was no defendant and no legal representation for the tenant.
Pima County supervisors voted on March 16 to direct up to $2 million to support legal defense costs for residents facing eviction. The eviction defense motion, proposed by Supervisor Matt Heinz, will create a program funded by federal COVID-19 relief money to provide legal counsel for tenants while increasing marketing and outreach for eviction prevention clinics. In Pima County, there are 4,376 outstanding eviction cases dating back to last March, and a tsunami of eviction cases is expected in early April.
Updated on March 31, 2021
TheState Pressreports that Arizona State University experts, local governments, and organizations are working together to understand how post-moratorium evictions may impact Maricopa County residents. The Knowledge Exchange for Resilience predicts that by April, 40,000 to 45,000 households in Maricopa County could be at risk of eviction.
According to the Eviction Lab,Phoenix topped the list of citiesacross the country with the most eviction filings during the coronavirus pandemic. The data indicate Phoenix had 16,685 filings, followed by Houston with 16,563 filings, and Memphis with 8,792 filings.
Updated on March 08, 2021
Beginning on February 23, renters and landlords in twelve Arizona counties will be able to apply for the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program using an online portal. Several large counties and cities, including Maricopa County, Pima County, and Yuma County, are receiving rental assistance funds directly from the federal government.
Updated on February 17, 2021
Despite the federal eviction moratorium, some Pima County landlords continue to evict tenants by using a loophole concerning technicalities in contracts. Evictions due to “material breach of contract” have been spiking since the CDC moratorium went into effect. The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to expand protections for renters by closing this loophole.
Updated on February 08, 2021
An op-ed in AZ Central discusses recent efforts by Phoenix officials to scale back proposed shelter space. Nonprofit organizations are working to address the affordable housing and homelessness crisis, which is expected to worsen in the wake of the pandemic. City officials’ resistance to these efforts has left advocates questioning the metro Phoenix area’s commitment to addressing homelessness.
Updated on February 01, 2021
NLIHC’s Diane Yentel spoke to ABC15 about the shortcomings of the CDC eviction moratorium, noting that loopholes in the order and a lack of enforcement have allowed some evictions to proceed despite the ban. According to the Maricopa County Justice Court, 3,174 eviction actions were filed in November.
Updated on January 25, 2021
Despite housing advocates’ calls for Governor Doug Ducey to allocate more funds for rental assistance, the governor’s State of the State address failed to mention any aid for the more than 200,000 Arizonans facing eviction and the 10,000-plus individuals experiencing homelessness.
The Pima County Constables’ Office has hired a social worker to help prevent homelessness and connect individuals to needed services. At least 146 eviction hearings were scheduled in the county for the first week of 2021, and that number is expected to surge once the CDC eviction moratorium expires at the end of January.
Updated on January15, 2021
The Arizona Daily Sun reports that Flagstaff nonprofits are bracing for a difficult upcoming year as the federal eviction moratorium comes to an end.
Updated on December 19, 2020
Assistance for metro Phoenix rentersis running out as the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium quickly approaches. Arizona renters owe at least $178 million in back rent, and as many as 150,000 renters could be evicted next month. Instead of allocating some of the nearly $400 million left in the state’s CARES Act funding to rental assistance, Governor Doug Ducey gave the money to state agencies for operating budgets.
Arizona state legislators sent aletter to Governor Doug Duceyurging him to reinstate the eviction moratorium, replenish the COVID-19 Rental Assistance Trust Fund with an additional $10 million, and simplify the eligibility criteria for rental assistance and allow landlords to apply for assistance.
Updated on December 9, 2020
Despite federal eviction protections, landlords have continued to evict metro Phoenix renters during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an investigation by theArizona Republic, part of theUSA Today Network,more than 900 evictionswere filed against tenants who should have been protected by the CARES Act.
The city ofChandleris investing more funding in eviction prevention services to help prevent a surge in homelessness when the CDC moratorium expires at the end of the year. Experts predict a 30-40% increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County.
Updated on November 30, 2020
TheArizona Supreme Court declined to hear an appealfiled by landlords to overturn the state’s eviction moratorium. Phoenix area evictions are climbing despite the state moratorium, which is set to expire October 31, and the CDC eviction moratorium. According to the Maricopa County Justice Courts, eviction filings rose to 2,863 in September, up from 2,171 in August and 1,768 in July.
Maricopa Countyis allocating $20 million of CARES Act funds to expand programs for struggling renters, overstretched nonprofits, and food banks. About $6.25 million will specifically help renters avoid eviction.
Updated on October 14, 2020
By projecting statewide estimates ontoPima County, two researchers estimate the number of households in the county at risk of eviction in the coming months ranges from 10,406 to 26,606. The researchers estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness has risen by nearly 800 people – an increase of about 58%.
Community organizations in Phoenixare concerned about a potential rise in homelessness after the CDC moratorium expires on December 31. “That date is going to be the tsunami – the cliff – I don’t know what else to call it,” said Victor Contreras of Chicanos Por La Causa. “That is what keeps me up at night. It’s not just about losing your house or being evicted from your apartment, it’s about the impact that has on families, on kids, on education, on the gaps in education, access to internet and computers.”
Updated on October 5, 2020
Tucson Weeklyshares the story of a family evicted in August in Pima County after being wrongfully denied protection under Governor Doug Ducey’s executive order prohibiting evictions.
The coronavirus has not created problems inTucson’s Latino communities, but instead has exposed existing ones, including lack of access to health care, higher number of workers in jobs considered “essential,” and high numbers of multigenerational housing.
Updated on September 29, 2020
A new study found thatArizona has one of the highest evictionand foreclosure rates in the country. People on fixed incomes and those without health insurance were at high risk for losing their homes. “The pandemic is exacerbating all of these vulnerabilities that already exist,” said Lora Phillips, a research with Arizona State University.
Updated on September 22, 2020
Representative Jennifer Longdon, a Democrat who represents portions of Phoenix and Scottsdale, spoke toKJZZabout why the Arizona legislature should hold a special session to address evictions and rental assistance.
Updated on September 10, 2020
Arizona evictions rules changed on August 22, making it more difficult for renters to remain in their homes if they are facing eviction due to nonpayment of rent because of the pandemic. While Governor Doug Ducey extended the eviction moratorium until October 31 in a July executive order, renters must meet three additional requirements to remain in their homes.
Updated on September 2, 2020.
Landlord groups have filed lawsuitsto overturn Arizona’s eviction moratorium, arguing that the ban has created an “unsustainable” situation. According to tenant advocates, however,landlords have continued to evict tenantsand can still collect money from evicted tenants. Since Arizona’s eviction moratorium only delays eviction enforcement and only under certain circ*mstances, hundreds of evictions in Pima and Maricopa County have occurred since Governor Doug Ducey’s order went into effect.
Updated on August 25, 2020.
Arizona has set aside$5 million for its landlord assistance program. This is in addition to $5 million the state set aside in March, and millions more that local governments have begun distributing, to help tenants pay rent.
Updated on August 19, 2020.
In his July 16 executive order expanding the eviction moratorium, Governor Dough Ducey said, that renters who wanted to defer a pending eviction have until Aug. 21 to notify their landlord in writing of a COVID-19 hardship and request a payment plan. With that deadline around the corner, few renters have filed for this support.
Updated on August 11, 2020.
Researchers with the University of Arizona are urging the state to prepare for a sharp rise in homelessness. If unemployment continues to rise in Arizona, the state will have totake drastic stepsto prevent a massive rise in homelessness. Thereportestimates that if unemployment rises to 25%, homelessness will increase by 42%.
Updated on August 4, 2020.
AnArizona judgeupheld Governor Doug Ducey’s eviction relief after a Phoenix landlord challenged the governor’s eviction moratorium.
Arizona’s Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance Programis so backlogged that employees are reviewing applications submitted as far back as April. Fewer than 7% of renters who have applied for the program have received assistance, even after the Arizona Department of Housing announced it would simplify the application process and hire more reviewers. While nearly 80% of funding for the program remains unspent, the total amount tenants have requested is nearly $9 million -- almost twice the amount that Governor Doug Ducey allocated for rent assistance.
Updated on July 28, 2020.
Governor Doug Ducey on July 16 signed anexecutive orderextending a statewide eviction moratorium until October 31, 2020.Governor Ducey also announced$5 million to launch the Foreclosure Prevention Program and an additional $650,000 in new funding for community action agencies to improve the administration of rental assistance programs.
Governor Doug Ducey on July 14announceda plan to distribute nearly $6 million in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG-CV) to combat homelessness, with $4.35 million allocated to shelters, programs, and services serving people experiencing homelessness and $1.6 million for homelessness prevention.
Updated on July 20, 2020.
CNNreported on a Phoenix hotel that is temporarily housing people experiencing homelessness. Circle the City, a nonprofit health care provider for people experiencing homelessness, has leased 136 rooms at the Phoenix Inn.
TheWhite Mountain Apache Tribewill use $3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to construct eight transitional housing units for COVID-19 patients and their families. Once the immediate threat of COVID-19 has passed, the homes will provide temporary housing for tribal members who are experiencing homelessness or in transition while their homes are being repaired.
Arizona courts are preparing for a surge of eviction cases when Governor Doug Ducey allows the state’s eviction moratorium on July 22. The Arizona Supreme Court issuedAdministrative Order 2020-105, outlining steps to “facilitate the orderly and safe disposition of eviction cases” in the context of the pandemic. The order directs courts not to schedule more than 25 eviction cases per hour.
Arizona’s existing housing crisis is being exacerbated by COVID-19, and thousands of Arizonans are struggling to pay their rent amid the pandemic. A$100 million fund to create more affordable housingfor people experiencing homelessness and low-income residents launched this week with assistance from Medicaid and other healthcare providers. The fund aims to reduce homelessness and address racial inequities in housing.
Updated on July 13, 2020.
Democratic lawmakers in Arizonaare urging Governor Doug Ducey to extend the statewide eviction moratorium that is set to expire July 22. Lawmakers are concerned that rates of eviction and homelessness will surge, given that unemployment claims continue to increase, and state rental assistance has failed to arrive.
Updated on June 29, 2020.
TheArizona Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner, is advocating for additional funding for critical housing resources, including vouchers and a state tax credit program to fund affordable housing development. Arizona was facing an affordable housing crisis before the pandemic, and advocates worry about a rise in evictions and homelessness due to COVID-19.
TheTucson City Councilapproved a plan to distribute $95.7 million in federal CARES Act funding, including $5 million for utility, rent, and mortgage assistance. The city also approved $5 million in federal funding for isolation and quarantine housing for people experiencing homelessness and installing wash stations and portable toilets.
Updated on June 12, 2020.
Eviction hearings in Pima County resumed on June 1, and nearly 600 are scheduled over the next several weeks. While Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s March 24 executive order allows tenants facing eviction due to COVID-19-related hardships to ask judges for a temporary reprieve, advocates are expressing theurgent need for emergency rental assistance.
Nearly 11,000 Arizona rentershave applied for assistance from the state’s COVID-19 Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance Program that was established two months ago, but only 600 have received assistance according to the Arizona Department of Housing. Joan Serviss, executive director of the Arizona Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner, fears that if people are evicted now, more affordable housing is simply not available.
Governor Doug Ducey announced $300,000 in grant funding to provide rental assistance, telehealth, and transportation to health services. The funds come from the state’s Crisis Contingency and Safety Net Fund. In March, Governor Ducey announced the Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance Program.
Sonora Quest Laboratories is partnering with national and local nonprofits to test 300 people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. Other local organizations will help transport people for the testing and help them to find permanent housing.
Arizona has spent barely 10% of the $5 million allocated to emergency rental assistance. More than 11,000 renters have applied for emergency rental assistance during the pandemic, but Arizona has given money to fewer than 550 people.
Phoenix displaced part of alarge homeless encampment.
The Arizona state emergency management directorstepped downlate last week. Her resignation letter criticized moves by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, saying that his moves to put the Arizona Department of Health Services Director in charge of the state’s efforts made her functions “duplicative.”
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey alsoannounceda new $5 million rental assistance program to assist low income renters during the pandemic.
In Arizona, food banks and homeless shelters are seeing unprecedented demand. With some support from state emergency funds, they arecommitted to keeping doors opento help those in need but the situation is as dynamic and it’s unclear how long some programs will be able to keep doors open with many losing financial support from fundraising.
Arizona tribes will receive $37 million from HUD forCOVID-19 affordable housing. The Navajo Nation has been one of the hardest hit areas in the country from the coronavirus, with the number of cases multiplying rapidly. As of April 9, the tribe has seen 488 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20 deaths.
Phoenix
NPR’s"Weekend Edition"reports on a Phoenix-based nonprofit, Circle the City, that has been housing and treating people experiencing homelessness with COVID-19 symptoms in a local hotel.
Updated on July 20, 2020.
Pima County
Since evictions resumed in Pima County June 1,783 cases have been processed, and according to a memorandum by a county administrator, an eviction order has been issued in approximately 75% of the cases.
Updated on June 29, 2020.
Tucson
Tucson has leased 365 hotel roomsto house people experiencing homelessness amid the pandemic, and 390 people are currently checked into rooms. Since the program started in March, approximately 500 people have participated and 80 people have transitioned into permanent housing.
Updated on July 20, 2020.
