Phoenix allocates $51M in COVID-19 aid for rent and utility assistance

PHOENIX — The city of Phoenix on Tuesday approved $51 million in federal funds to be allocated to residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who need help paying their rent and utility bills.

Residents of Phoenix may receive up to 15 months of help with delinquent rent. There is no maximum on the dollar amount of assistance. However, program participants must be recertified every three months.

To be eligible to receive assistance, applicants must make less than $62,250 for a family of four, and must have sustained a reduction in household income due to COVID-19.

Priority is given to applicants who have had a household member unemployed for the last 90 days or more and with a total household income lower than $38,900 for a family of four.

“There is immense day-to-day stress when you’re unsure how you will pay the rent or keep the lights on in your home,” Mayor Kate Gallego said in a press release.

“Today’s decision by the council will give our residents financial and emotional relief, and go a long way toward preventing homelessness.”

Applications can be submitted online or by phone beginning in early March.

The funding comes from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, part of the relief package passed by Congress in December 2020.

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