by Terri Jo Neff | Nov 5, 2021 | News
By Terri Jo Neff |
Nearly $41 million has been pledged by Gov. Doug Ducey to provide transitional housing in an effort to reduce homelessness across Arizona, including within Native American communities and for residents with special needs.
“These funds will help families and individuals who are struggling access transitional housing options and equip them with the skills and support needed to secure permanent, reliable housing,” Ducey said Thursday in announcing the funds. “There are a wide range of organizations and programs across the state that help Arizonans succeed — and I’m grateful for all they do to support those in need.”
The Arizona Housing Coalition will be responsible for allocating $10 million of the State Fiscal Recovery Fund funds to organizations which serve those impacted by homelessness. Another $7.2 million will go to Native American Connections for the acquisition of a 58-bed transitional housing facility in the West Valley for youth experiencing homelessness.
The Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV) will distribute $7.5 million to domestic violence service providers for safe housing options for survivors in need of support. ACESDV will also distribute $4 million to domestic violence providers specifically serving Native American Tribes.
Meanwhile, $5 million has been given to Chicanos Por La Causa to hire personnel who will assist with rental applications and housing relocation, as well as provide referrals to other community resources, while $2.5 million is being provided to Home Matters to Arizona to further the group’s efforts to expand affordable housing options and to support providers that focus on transitional, homeless and domestic abuse shelters.
Habitat for Humanity Tucson has been allocated nearly $1.9 million to create a community-based job training program and to build and repair affordable housing.
Other funding announced by the Governor includes:
- $500,000 to one-n-ten to provide safe and reliable housing to LGBTQ+ youth in need of shelter.
- $434,276 for Tanner Community Development Corporation to provide more housing options for veterans facing homelessness.
- $362,047 for Circle the City to strengthen mental health services for those experiencing homelessness by creating a street outreach team.
- $300,000 for Native Americans for Community Action to expand its services that individuals experiencing homelessness utilize.
- $250,000 for Primavera Foundation to renovate and expand affordable housing units.
- $250,000 for First Place Arizona to offer independent living outreach, health programming, community engagement and mental health coordination to neurodiverse Arizonans.
- $250,000 for Southern Arizona Aids Foundation to support counseling and housing programs and those living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ youth facing housing insecurity.
- $250,000 for Tohdenasshai Committee Against Family Abuse to hire personnel to assist with childcare at the shelter in Navajo Nation and to assist with transportation to housing appointments and other services for victims.
- $55,000 for Free Arts to provide children in shelters and facilities with art supplies.
- $50,000 for Streets of Joy to provide shelter and counseling services to underserved individuals with mental illnesses and inmates recently reentering society, helping them transition to an independent lifestyle.
The governor’s announcement comes on the heels of two other housing related funding opportunities also announced this month. On Nov. 1, Ducey and Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) Director Tom Simplot announced $197 million to launch the Homeowner Assistance Fund, helping Arizona homeowners struggling financially to pay their mortgage and other home-related expenses.
Then on Nov. 2, the distribution of $15.35 million in federal funding to support programs aimed at combating homelessness throughout Arizona was announced, with emphasis on immediate, transitional options
“Transitional housing is a great steppingstone to helping more Arizonans access permanent housing solutions, and it’s important that our fellow Arizonans have access to those resources. My thanks goes to Governor Ducey for all his work to support the Arizona Department of Housing’s efforts to connect vulnerable Arizonans with safe housing.”
Thursday’s $40.7 million funding announcement is part of $90 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds available to Arizona to address affordable housing, homelessness, and other family issues such as childcare shortages and increased domestic violence made worse by the pandemic.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Oct 27, 2021 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
This past July, Arizona lawmakers and Governor Ducey did the right thing. Through a series of Budget Reconciliation Bills, they took important steps to protect the people of Arizona from more COVID mandates and to prevent children from being indoctrinated in public schools by Critical Race Theory.
While COVID was certainly an issue that warranted some action, it never should have included trampling on the rights of the people. And we definitely should not be wasting tax dollars on lessons that teach public school students that one race, ethnic group, or sex is in any way superior to another.
Not surprisingly, these laws sent teachers’ unions into a tailspin. As students headed back to campus, some Arizona schools decided to teach students that it’s ok to violate the law. And the Arizona Board of Regents recently announced that all three state universities will require their employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 8.
Then, there’s the lawsuit…
>>> READ MORE >>>
by Corinne Murdock | Oct 12, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Flags will be lowered to half-staff for the fallen La Paz County sergeant, Michael Rudd, on Wednesday.
Rudd’s end-of-watch came Monday, after he was struck head-on by another vehicle while in pursuit of a suspect near the Arizona-California border. Rudd had been promoted to sergeant earlier this year in March.
Governor Doug Ducey issued the announcement later in the day, after Rudd’s passing. Rudd is one of three officers killed over the last few weeks. Maricopa County Deputy Juan Ruiz also died Monday, after being taken off life support following an assault last week. Ruiz was beaten unconscious on Saturday by a felony suspect he was jailing. Flags will be lowered to half-staff on Tuesday for Ruiz.
Last Monday, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Group Supervisor Michael Garbo was killed in a shooting in downtown Tucson.
Ducey noted that since the annual Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Service last month, a total of three law enforcement officers have died: Garbo, Ruiz, and Rudd. The memorial had honored 17 fallen officers.
“Arizona deeply mourns the loss of Sgt. Michael Rudd. For years, he protected the people of La Paz County and made Arizonans’ safety a top priority. I recently honored 17 fallen law enforcement professionals at the Peace Officers Memorial, and it was a sobering reminder of the danger these heroes face every day. Despite the danger, Sgt. Rudd wore the badge and worked hard to keep our communities safe. We will never forget his bravery, and our condolences are with his family, the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office, and the law enforcement community. I’ve ordered flags be lowered to half-staff in honor of his service.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Oct 10, 2021 | Opinion
By the AZ Free Enterprise Club |
Laws are meaningless if they aren’t enforced, are misapplied or misconstrued. The duly elected Arizona legislature crafts and passes election bills, and the Governor signs them into law. The Secretary of State, however, is tasked with prescribing “rules to achieve and maintain the maximum degree of correctness, impartiality, uniformity and efficiency” in implementing those laws.
This is done through the Elections Procedures Manual (EPM). But instead of crafting this with “impartiality” to attain the “maximum degree of correctness” Secretary of State Katie Hobbs seems intent on subverting state law in some instances, obfuscating in others, and as highlighted in a previous article, doing an end-run around a United States Supreme Court decision that upheld an Arizona election integrity practice.
The good news is that Hobbs doesn’t have unilateral authority to do this. She was required to submit this draft manual to Attorney General Brnovich and Governor Ducey by October 1st. Both have to sign off on the draft manual for it to go into effect. If they decline, we stick with the 2019 manual and Hobbs’s changes die…
>>> READ MORE >>>
by Terri Jo Neff | Oct 7, 2021 | News
By Terri Jo Neff |
Gov. Doug Ducey and nine other governors met Wednesday in Texas to announce a plan they say could be immediately implemented by the Biden Administration to address the crisis at the nation’s southwest border. The meeting came after more than two weeks of silence from President Joe Biden to a Sept. 20 request for a summit with 26 governors, including Ducey.
“We’ve tried to meet with the president and be part of the solution, but he refuses. No, worse — he ignores governors, just like he’s ignoring the border and the safety of the American people,” Ducey said, adding that the governors have publicly provided a comprehensive set of policy to end the border crisis immediately. “President Biden now has everything he needs to stop this crisis.”
The 10-point plan shared by the governors calls for the continued application of Title 42 to refuse entry to individuals coming into the U.S. due to COVID-19 public health risks (Point 1) as well as the dedication of additional resources to eradicate the surge in human and drug smuggling (Point 2).
Point 3 calls on Biden to enforce all deportation laws applicable to criminally-convicted illegal aliens, while Point 4 seeks the United States’ reentry with agreements previously in place with Mexico as well as with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras -commonly referred to as the Northern Triangle.
The fifth point would ensure states are notified by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement anytime the federal government transports migrants, including unaccompanied children, into a state that will be called upon to provide social services.
And the sixth point demands the President and all federal officials to “state clearly and unequivocally that our country’s borders are not open” and that migrants seeking economic opportunity in America should not abuse or misuse the asylum process.
Point 7 calls for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be provided with more resources for federal officers and agents. Meanwhile, Point 8 involves making additional judges and resources available to U.S. Immigration Courts to end the growing backlog and expedite court appearances for illegal migrants. There would also be an end to the Biden Administration’s current “catch and release policy” which makes it impossible to track immigrants who are otherwise free to travel anywhere in the country.
Under Point 9, the Migrant Protection Policy (MPP) would be reinstated in compliance with recent court rulings. MPP requires asylum seekers to return to Mexico to await court hearings. And Point 10, according to the governors’ plan, would reactivate construction contracts to finish building the border wall as well as additional security infrastructure such as lights, sensors, and access roads.
Those participating in the meeting with Ducey and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott were Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, Gov. Brad Little of Idaho, Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana, Gov. Pete Ricketts of Montana, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming. The attendees received a border briefing from Commissioner Steve McCraw of the Texas Department of Public Safety as well as Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council.
HEAR GOV. DUCEY’S COMMENTS IN TEXAS HERE
Last month, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels took issue with comments by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) who claimed the southwest border is “sovereign and secure” and that anyone who says otherwise is spouting “biased and unfair narratives for political purposes.”
Dannels, whose county shares 80 miles of border with Mexico, said Jackson Lee’s comments were “100 percent not true.” To support his position, the sheriff pointed to data compiled by the federal government which showed 183,000 border crossers taken into custody from Oct. 1, 2020 through Aug. 31, 2021 by the Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol.
During that same period, an estimated 115,000 “getaways” were reported in the Tucson Sector, Dannels said.
Those were just some of the 1,473,000 encounters with undocumented immigrants at the nation’s southwest border, a 325 percent increase from the same period last year.
MORE ABOUT SHERIFF DANNELS’ COMMENTS
