Today, Rep. Raúl Grijalva called on Gov. Doug Ducey to issue a statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium. The CDC-mandated federal eviction moratorium expired on July 31, and now some renters are worried about losing their homes.
Lisa Bratcher, a Covid-19 supervisor for the nonprofit Save the Family, told AZFamily, “Today alone, we’ve been flooded with phone calls, emails, applications of people trying to hurry up and get something in place before they have to go to court, so they can save their residence. A lot of them are calling in hysteria, kind of like, ‘We don’t know what to do. The moratorium is ending. We don’t have a safety net anymore.”‘
Justice Courts numbers show nearly 3,000 evictions were filed in June.
Rep Grijalva stated, “As the delta variant spreads across Arizona, it’s irresponsible and inhumane to evict people from their homes and turn them out on the streets. It doesn’t need to be this way. The State received millions in emergency rental assistance thanks to the American Rescue Plan but has consistently failed to distribute the money in a timely manner to those in need. In the absence of a federal eviction and foreclosure moratorium, Governor Ducey has the authority to protect vulnerable Arizonans and institute one at the state level while the State quickly disburses rental assistance to those who need it most. Additionally, I urge our state and local courts to pause eviction proceedings until tenants and landlords can seek and access emergency rental assistance.”
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, approximately 253,000 Arizonans are behind on rent. Additionally, data from the Treasury Department shows the State of Arizona DES Program has only disbursed $4.4 million of $289.4 million in allocated emergency rental assistance.
Federal money for rental and mortgage assistance is still available through the Maricopa County website.
“After a person is determined eligible, it takes about five days or so for the check to be cut,” said Jacqueline Edwards, deputy director of the Maricopa County Human Services Department.
“The failure of the State to disburse these funds allocated by Congress months ago is creating an eviction crisis,” continued Rep. Grijalva. “The State must correct this immediately. I am prepared to vote for an extension to the eviction moratorium as soon as possible and will continue to urge the CDC to take new action to protect renters. Evictions will only exacerbate the dual public health and economic crises, and we should do everything in our power to keep Arizona families in their homes.”
