Arizona

NLIHC has estimated a need for no less than $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and broke down the need and cost for each state (download Excel spreadsheet). 

In response to COVID-19 and its economic fallout, many cities and states are creating or expanding rental assistance programs to support individuals and families impacted by the pandemic, and NLIHC is tracking in-depth information on these programs.  

You can use the interactive map and searchable database to find state and local emergency rental assistance programs near you. You can also see the latest news on rental assistance programs through the state-by-state news tracker. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of all rental assistance programs as we continue to update frequently. If you are aware of a program not included in our database, please contact [email protected]. 

COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

Across the country, homeless service providers are struggling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to follow public health guidelines and help ensure people’s safety, some shelters are being forced to reduce services, restrict admittance, or close entirely. The loss of these critical resources puts people experiencing homelessness at even higher risk of illness. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of shelter closings.

Below is a list of shelters that have had to majorly alter services or completely close:

CASS, the state’s largest single adult shelter, has reduced its capacity from 470 to 370. CASS is actively working to find alternative shelter, including hotel rooms, to allow people to practice social distancing or isolation.

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 April 28, 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

The State Press reports 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 cities across 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 January 15, 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 renters is 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 a letter to Governor Doug Ducey urging 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 the Arizona Republic, part of the USA Today Network, more than 900 evictions were filed against tenants who should have been protected by the CARES Act.

The city of Chandler is 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

The Arizona Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal filed 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 County is 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 onto Pima 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 Phoenix are 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 Weekly shares 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 in Tucson’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 that Arizona has one of the highest eviction and 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 to KJZZ about 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 lawsuits to overturn Arizona’s eviction moratorium, arguing that the ban has created an “unsustainable” situation. According to tenant advocates, however, landlords have continued to evict tenants and can still collect money from evicted tenants. Since Arizona’s eviction moratorium only delays eviction enforcement and only under certain circumstances, 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 to take drastic steps to prevent a massive rise in homelessness. The report estimates that if unemployment rises to 25%, homelessness will increase by 42%. 

Updated on August 4, 2020.

An Arizona judge upheld Governor Doug Ducey’s eviction relief after a Phoenix landlord challenged the governor’s eviction moratorium.

Arizona’s Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance Program is 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 an executive order extending 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 14 announced a 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.

CNN reported 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.

The White Mountain Apache Tribe will 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 issued Administrative 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 housing for 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 Arizona are 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.

The Arizona 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.

The Tucson City Council approved 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 the urgent need for emergency rental assistance.

Nearly 11,000 Arizona renters have 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 a large homeless encampment.

The Arizona state emergency management director stepped down late 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 also announced a 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 are committed to keeping doors open to 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 for COVID-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 rooms to 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.

Federal, state, and local eviction moratoriums are rapidly expiring and the CARES Act supplemental unemployment benefits will end soon; at that time, millions of low-income renters will be at risk of losing their homes. The NLIHC estimates at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance is needed to keep low-income renters stably housed during and after the pandemic. This tracker links to news reports of the growing evictions crisis in various cities and states. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of eviction updates.

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 August 28, 2020.

Arizona’s efforts to provide assistance to renters are lagging. Three weeks after Governor Ducey announced the extension of the eviction moratorium, the number of approved applications had risen to 1,380, but the total number of applications had also risen, to 20,313, an approval rate that was just under 6.8%. Statistics showed that 8,019 of the submitted applications as of Aug. 3, or 39.5%, were incomplete.

Updated: August 12

This order prevents law enforcement from enforcing evictions, but all other stages of evictions can commence. Courts are open and eviction cases can be filed, heard, and ruled on; but they cannot be enforced by law enforcement. Even if a tenant qualifies under the moratorium due to hardship and provides all necessary documentation, landlords can still be taken to court and a judge can rule to evict them. If this happens, tenants will need to provide all necessary documentation to law enforcement officials when they show up to prevent the eviction. 

Updated: August 1

In the third week of July, 1 in 4 adults in Arizona reported they had missed their previous housing payment or had little confidence they would make their next one on time, according to a weekly survey conducted by the Census. In the same survey, over three hundred thousand renters reported they had not paid their previous rental payment. 

On July 22, the governor extended the statewide eviction moratorium until October 31, but with new restrictions. For renters to remain protected, they must do the following before August 22: request a payment plan from their landlord, re-notify them of your hardship, show proof of ongoing hardship, and show they have completed an application for rental aid. Applying for rental assistance is a slow and burdensome process for many in Arizona, with about 40% of requests for aid made to the Arizona Department of Housing deemed “incomplete” and rejected. Some applications from April still haven’t been processed. 

Updated: July 29

The Aspen Institute estimates that 578,000 renters in Arizona could face eviction by the end of September. According to a weekly survey by the Census, 1 in 4 adults in the state either missed their last housing payment or have little/no confidence of being able to make next month’s housing payment.

Updated: July 16