Maricopa County receives additional $39M for emergency rental assistance
Feb 7, 2022, 4:25 AM
PHOENIX — Maricopa County officials received an additional $39 million in emergency rental assistance to help those facing eviction due to non-payment.
The U.S. Department of Treasury redirected the federal funds through a reallocation process from grantees who didn’t use their full allotment, officials said in a press release.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates praised the human services staff in the release for having distributed millions of dollars in rental assistance to people “so efficiently that the federal government says our county deserves more money to prevent evictions.”
In order to be eligible for more funding through Emergency Rental Assistance 1.0, agencies had to show the need, as well as an expeditious disbursement of previous funds by an imposed deadline, both of which the county met.
Prior to the pandemic, the county gave $4-5 million in rental and utility assistance, but as a response to the economic impact felt across the state, three funding streams totaling over $128 million have been approved for use, county officials said in the release.
“This additional funding will allow us to directly deliver relief to families and individuals who are still at risk of eviction as a result of financial hardships brought on by the pandemic,” Jacqueline Edwards, director of Maricopa County’s Human Services Department, said in the release.
“We have seen tremendous need in the community for assistance, so when the opportunity came available to receive a reallocation of funds unused by other agencies, we made sure Maricopa County was in the running for another round of funding.”
