Governor Doug Ducey today announced $5 million in new funding to help Arizonans struggling to make rent due to COVID-19. The new dollars will be included as part of a Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance Program being launched by the Arizona Department of Housing and will help families and individuals who are facing a loss of income due to COVID-19 with monthly rent assistance.

“Because of COVID-19, many Arizonans are seeing their hours cut or even the loss of their jobs, and Arizona will be there to support them,” said Governor Ducey. “We want people to be able to continue making rent, while ensuring no one is forced out of their home because they got sick, someone in their family got sick, or they are facing economic hardship. We will continue to make assistance and resources available so families can get through this time and get back on their feet.”

“This assistance will provide some measure of relief for many renters, as well as their landlords, during this unprecedented situation that led to an abrupt loss of income,” said Arizona Department of Housing Director Carol Ditmore.

Rental assistance may be made available to households:

Whose primary residence is a rental unit located in Arizona,

And who have seen a reduction in income due to COVID-19, that when annualized, does not exceed 100 percent of the area median income adjusted for family size for the county in which they reside.

The Arizona Department of Housing will launch the program on Monday, March 30, 2020. The State Housing Trust Fund provided $5 million for initial program funding.

Additional funding may be identified for the program as the Department assesses program utilization along with need. Application for assistance will be available Monday, March 30 via an online application system accessible from the Arizona Department of Housing’s website at www.azhousing.gov. Interested applicants who do not have computer access can call their local Community Action Agency to initiate an application over the telephone.

On March 24, 2020, Governor Ducey issued an executive order delaying the enforcement of eviction action orders for renters impacted by COVID-19. The order applies to renters who are quarantining due to COVID-19 or are facing economic hardship as a result of the outbreak. It will remain in effect for 120 days.