TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On June 30, 2021, the nationwide eviction moratorium, put in place by the CDC, will expire. Before then, local jurisdictions are working to get struggling residents connected to help.
"We know this pandemic has hit a lot of people really hard. People have lost jobs, they've lost income, they've had to deal with their kids and maybe they've been impacted themselves by COVID-19 directly," said Pima County Ending Poverty Now Program Manager, Bonnie Bazata.
Pima County and the City of Tucson are using funds from the American Rescue Plan to keep people in their homes. Together, the city and county have $23 Million to give residents who are unable to pay rent due to the pandemic.
"It's an opportunity for people to start to get some stability for themselves and start to make a plan for how they're going to move out of this pandemic," said Bazata.
To qualify, an applicant must explain how they have been affected by the pandemic. The household must also earn less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
"We can't necessarily get a check in peoples hands by June 30, but we can let their landlord know that they are in process of getting rent assistance. That goes 12 months back and three months forward," said Bazata.
Residents in need are encouraged not to wait.
"We don't want to cause a new wave of homelessness. We want to get in front of that. We can do that by connecting people to the rent and utility assistance now," said Bazata.
For more information on how to apply for rental assistance in Tucson and Pima County, click here.