PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA — Pima County and the City of Tucson have received a combined $22 million in additional funding to provide rental assistance to members of the community.
The additional funding — $11 million apiece for the County and City — comes from federal funding that was originally allocated to the Arizona Department of Economic Security but had not been distributed. The County has also asked for an additional $6 million and the City an additional $13 million in unused DES funds, which could bring the total in new money to $41 million.
“The new funding will allow us to keep more people in their homes, which is vital to the overall economic health of our community,” said Daniel Sullivan, director of the County’s Department of Community & Workforce Development. “Our federal rental-assistance dollars were running low, so this allocation and the possibility of more in the near future comes at an opportune time.”
Since March 2020, Pima County and the City of Tucson have distributed more than $49 million in rental assistance through a joint program set up to help struggling households during the pandemic.
To date, the joint program has committed close to $56 million in combined rental and utility assistance due to economic difficulties stemming from COVID-19. That figure covers more than 10,000 individual cases.
“We are pleased to continue our collaboration with the City of Tucson,” Sullivan said. “We believe this partnership is an excellent model for the rest of the country and more efficiently distributes the funding to families than would be possible if either party tried to do it alone.”
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, who last month joined 16 other mayors in requesting more funds for emergency rental assistance, said, “Tucsonans are still feeling the lingering effects of the pandemic on an already strained housing market.
“Working families, individuals on fixed incomes and those on the brink of homelessness are facing obscene rent hikes and a statewide housing shortage. These resources will help those urgently trying to get back on their feet.”
Renters and landlords on behalf of tenants can apply for assistance at TucsonPimaep.com or call 520-447-4423 to see if they meet eligibility requirements.