(C) Arizona Mirror
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Hobbs dedicates $89 million to help the unhoused, build more affordable housing [1]
['Jerod Macdonald-Evoy', 'More From Author', '- January']
Date: 2024-01
Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Housing announced Wednesday an investment of $89 million for homelessness assistance and to create new affordable housing options across the state.
The money comes in part from a new fund, the Homeless Shelter and Services Fund, that was created last year as part of the state budget. Approximately $40 million in statewide grants were awarded from the fund.
The bulk of the remaining money comes from the Arizona Housing Trust Fund, which received a $150 million influx of cash in the budget that was approved last year. The Housing Trust Fund has historically been underfunded, with housing advocates pushing for more funds to help create additional affordable housing.
A large chunk of the $89 million will go toward affordable housing. Approximately 2,195 new housing units will be created from the investment, with 19 projects receiving money to create more apartments and other affordable housing, some aimed at senior living.
“I am committed to making Arizona a place where temporary setbacks don’t prevent a person from reaching their full potential, where people aren’t turned away when they need help, and where our families can rest easy knowing there is a roof over their children’s heads,” Hobbs said in a written statement. “I am proud to deliver this funding and look forward to continuing these investments for years to come.”
Arizona, and the nation, has been seeing a spike in the number of evictions the past few months. The Grand Canyon State has broken records related to the number of eviction filings the past few months. Homelessness in the state has also been on the rise. Democratic lawmakers have made affordable housing a key priority for this legislative session.
On top of money for affordable housing, Hobbs announced millions of dollars would be allocated to cities and organizations that aim to alleviate homelessness. Some of those who received funding are the cities of Phoenix, Tucson and Sedona, as well as organizations such as St. Vincent De Paul, one-n-ten and Old Pueblo Community Services.
“The (Homeless Shelter and Services Fund) was oversubscribed with applications, demonstrating the great need to provide more shelter and supportive services for Arizonans in need,” said Arizona Department of Housing CEO Joan Serviss. “The providers we’ve funded now have significantly more resources to meet that need.”
Some of the communities that will be seeing new housing units created include Sedona, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Chandler, Surprise, Tucson, Sierra Vista and Miami.
According to Census data, renters spent more on rent in 2021 than the previous years, and nearly half of all renters were considered “cost burdened,” meaning that a household spends more than 30% of its income on rent. Approximately a quarter of all renters are “severely cost burdened,” meaning they spend more than 50% on rent.
Coconino County has the highest rent-to-income ratio of anywhere in the state, with the median household spending 33% of its income on rent, according to the most recent Census data. Pima and Maricopa counties were close behind, with ratios of 30 and 29%, respectively. Eleven of the state’s 15 counties have ratios above 25%.
Homelessness in Arizona increased by 21% from 2020 to 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It has led the federal government to give additional aid to Phoenix due to the increase.
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