The cat came out of the bag: Arizona is the perfect place to live.

Maricopa is the fastest growing county in the United States. That incredible growth is challenging the pace of development, and despite what is in the pipeline, our regions and states are struggling to keep up with demand.

The lingering economic burden of the pandemic has exacerbated inflation and labor shortages. These issues create additional difficulties for those on a tight budget.

Building more affordable housing is essential…but this issue cannot be used as an excuse for state legislatures to take away local control of zoning. Legislative attempts to exclude local governments do not solve this problem.

Mesa Mayor John Giles

Addressing this crisis requires a holistic approach. State leaders must work with cities to find real-world solutions by providing funding, creating realistic policies, and increasing tax credits and vouchers.

Mesa has responded to these challenges by proactively keeping people home and increasing housing inventory. During the pandemic, our city has distributed over $60 million in emergency rent and utility assistance to help stabilize over 9,500 households.

The city is actively removing barriers to new development. More than 5,600 multifamily homes have been approved by Congress for 2020 and beyond, with another 4,250 planned or under construction.

Some Mesa programs including off the street and our community court The program helps residents move into support systems and stable housing.

Local leaders understand the unique challenges faced by residents, businesses, community groups and developers. This is how Mesa successfully builds housing inventory and breaks the cycle of homelessness in our community.

There are other solutions where one policy does it all. Urban planning is a local issue, and Arizona’s cities should be empowered to adopt the best solutions at the local level.

More than 190,000 homes in Maricopa and Pinal counties have been approved by cities and towns but have not yet been built. To increase housing, developers must implement approved plans. Increasing the backlog of permitted units by eliminating local zoning authorities would leave a large number of residents already inhabited but struggling to keep up or unable to afford new market-priced housing. ignoring the part

Single parents, teachers, seniors, service workers, and others whose financial situations remain fixed or under pressure remain at risk of being overlooked. we cannot allow that.

In Mesa, nonprofits and religious groups are responding to calls to help the needy with homes, clothing and food. We are creating new partnerships for affordable housing, expanding emergency housing, and buying hotels to provide long-term stability for off-the-street programs.

In recent years, I have been quoted as saying that homelessness is not a problem, it is a problem.We need our legislators to work with community leaders to turn this around before it’s too late. recommended.

John Giles is Mayor of Mesa.