By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County taxpayers will pay up to two months of rent for those facing eviction for nonpayment.
Maricopa County has partnered with the city of Phoenix to launch a pilot program aimed at preventing evictions. The county allocated $800,000 from its fiscal year 2027 budget to pay for the pilot program, and the board of supervisors approved it in May.
Board Chair Kate Brophy McGee said the program was modeled after the Texas Eviction Diversion Program, a pandemic-era relief program established via emergency order by the Texas Supreme Court which ended in 2023.
“For three straight years, Maricopa County Justice Courts have processed more than 80,000 eviction filings. That’s 80,000 individuals or families on the brink of homelessness each year, at a time when that population is already high,” said Chair Kate Brophy McGee, District 3. “This pilot, modeled after a successful program in Texas, aims to address our eviction crisis head-on with interventions that are sustainable and effective. They are a hand up, not a hand out.”
Eligible residents may receive as much as $3,000 to cover two months of rental arrears; those with rental arrears exceeding three months past due and those with rental arrears exceeding $3,000 don’t qualify. Should every program participant qualify for the maximum relief amount, approximately 265 individuals would receive rental assistance.
Residents must reside in zip codes 85008, 85040, 85041, 85042; have citizenship or lawful permanent residency; have experienced a temporary emergency or financial setback; and can demonstrate ability to pay monthly rent moving forward.
Proof of ability to pay rent in the future includes an individual’s last two pay stubs, employment verification letter, Social Security income verification letter, a job offer letter, “other income verification,” or self-attestation.
The program also accepts on self-attestation from a resident to indicate financial hardship impacting their ability to make future rental payments. Verifiable evidence of the nature of the professed temporary hardship must be provided: terminated employment, reduced work hours, business closure, short-term illness or disability, medical bills, funeral expenses, car repairs, natural or manmade disaster, victimization by crime or domestic violence, or a self-attestation describing the temporary hardship.
Further, the program requires property owner participation. Property owners must provide documentation of the rental agreement, a tenant ledger, and other forms to include a W9.
“A key condition of receiving financial assistance includes the property owner agreeing that the amounts paid by the program fully satisfy the covered rental arrears and eligible charges,” stated the county press release.
The county’s application link sends users to an email with a domain name for HOM, an Arizona-based housing assistance and social services organization with operations in Colorado and Los Angeles, California.
On its website, HOM advertises as having assisted with the distribution of more than $9 million in monthly housing assistance, provision of monthly assistance to more than 6,900 households, and provision of housing subsidies for more than 3,000 properties.
AZ Free News reported earlier this month that the city of Phoenix is also considering the continuation of eviction legal services. That pilot program began in January 2025 with $1.2 million sourced from interest accrued from American Rescue Plan Act funds. City leaders say they would like to continue the program beyond its scheduled end date in June 2027.
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