Maricopa County is experiencing record numbers of eviction filings each month, with July Most applications since 2008 — Even though Arizona is suffering. record heat. Tenant advocates like Volk say the continued lack of affordable housing, rising rents and the state's already growing homeless population mean the most vulnerable will suffer the most. He warns that the situation is turning into a “perfect storm.”

“We have a responsibility as a society to behave in the interest of humanity, or everything will fall apart,” Volk said.

Some people are less pessimistic about the situation, but their views are not necessarily optimistic.

Maricopa County Magistrate Judge Anna Huberman said that in most eviction cases to date, tenants have been able to find employment in between jobs or if they were recently let go, which is the most significant increase in eviction cases in the past. He said it was different.

“This is a landlord market,” Huberman told Arizona Mirror, explaining that the housing market currently has incentives for landlords to raise rents and evict tenants. “Many of the people who are being evicted are on contracts for less than a year.”

Court filings reached just under 7,000 in June, a 27% increase compared to the average number of filings received by Maricopa County during the same period during the pandemic, according to reports. eviction lab. However, an eviction moratorium was implemented during the pandemic, suspending evictions for non-payment of rent due to COVID-19 related issues. These protections ended in his October 2020.

Not all eviction filings result in the tenant being evicted. According to the Maricopa County Justice Court, up to one in three tenants will be fired if they choose to pay and stay or if their landlord does not seek a court settlement.

Lawmakers are also paying close attention to the issue, aiming to educate their colleagues and see if bipartisan solutions exist in statehouses. Partisan consciousness is rampant.

“When someone loses their home, the whole world falls apart,” Rep. Annalize Ortiz, D-Phoenix, told the Arizona Mirror. “It has a ripple effect that affects the entire state.”

Ortiz and his state Senate colleague, Phoenix Democrat Anna Hernandez, will convene a joint research group focused on affordable housing, rent and homelessness issues. Ortiz and Hernandez both represent neighborhoods that have been hit hard by costly evictions in recent months.

Meanwhile, those on the ground are also hopeful that those in power will launch initiatives to deal with the new crisis.

“It's really hot outside, we're wearing bulletproof vests and we're outside most of the time,” Kyrene district constable Brigitte Veravigna told the Mirror. Most evictions have also occurred in her district. “We're incredibly busy.”

everyone goes on deck

Since 2000, the average number of eviction filings in August is approximately 6,274. This year, Maricopa County saw a 22% increase in eviction filings to 7,693 in the same month.

This increase is typically consistent throughout most of the year, with average filings increasing by 16% to 26% each month. The number of applications has increased by 26% over the past few months compared to the average.

But what is driving the increase?

“It was like being in shock. The community was in shock. The social system was in shock and it took a while for that system to return to its normal greedy state, but that greed took revenge. Volk said he believes landlords are unafraid to return to evictions.Federal or state suspension come back.

For example, in California this week, landlords We held a party to celebrate being able to evict people again..

According to Volk, to have the authority to correct the situation, the legislative, judicial, and executive branches need to work to create some solutions. But what that solution is, or what it might even be, seems still up in the air.

“We are human beings. We struggle to deal with this situation every day,” Huberman said, adding that she could not change the sentence because she might sympathize with their story.

Huberman, who disagrees with Volk's assertion that the pandemic is to blame for the rise in evictions, believes that rising rents appear to be a major “driving factor” in the recent surge in evictions. She added that “legislative amendments” may be needed.

First, the current eviction process moves quickly without any incentive for landlords to engage in any settlement or mediation process. The ability for tenants to appear in court virtually has allowed more people to attend hearings, but Huberman continues to see that most people don't understand the process.

Many landlords hire eviction attorneys. Some people have websites like .Dr. Evictor” and touts a quick win for landlords.

“It's a traumatic day for anyone who ends up in court,” Huberman said. “It's easy to say, 'This is what you need to do'…People in crisis aren't always able to think clearly and get the information they need.”

Bork said he has seen this situation play out over and over again, and that some type of ombudsman or diversion program within the courts could be part of the solution.

“The court has the authority to consider that option,” Volk said.

Huberman reiterated that courts “always” try to get tenants the information they need, pointing to the information section of the statute book. court website This helps tenants and landlords understand things like tenant disputes.

On the executive side, Gov. Katie Hobbs' spokesperson touted a historic $150 million investment in the state's historically underfunded Housing Trust Fund. The investment was part of budget negotiations with Republicans. Hobbs also set aside $60 million in a homelessness fund, $20 million of which has been distributed so far.

But of that $150 million, it has yet to be distributed. The Arizona Housing Authority says it won't happen until the use decision process is completed by interested parties.

The Ministry of Housing money distributed Donations have been given to cities in Flagstaff, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Tucson and Coconino counties to address homelessness, but none of those funds go toward addressing evictions or emergency housing. It wasn't available.

Requests to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, which provides funding for emergency housing, went unanswered.

find a solution

Officer Veravigna says he doesn't see much of a trend in the evictions he's carried out so far, but he does have ideas on how to deal with the problem.

“The only way to solve some of this problem is to spend money and find the right way to do it,” Verabinga said.

Verabinga's district covers parts of Tempe, Ahwatukee and Phoenix, and she says it's been “incredibly busy” these days.

She interacts with residents every day, many of whom think of her as their sheriff, trying to point them to helpful resources and give them the best advice she can. he said. But at Bellavigna, we're hearing more and more often from people about waiting lists for resources that can be up to three weeks long.

Eviction in Arizona can move at lightning pace and often 1-6 weeks.

Bellavigna also said she is working with tenants who are actively seeking resources, as many of the COVID-19 emergency resources have been depleted and she believes landlords may not see any money coming in. He said he has also noticed that fewer property managers are trying to do so.

Bellavigna, a property manager and real estate agent herself, said she has been surprised by the “corporate greed” she has witnessed.

“I believe in capitalism…but I’m very aware that there are a lot of big companies that own a lot of capital. detached house Frankly, Phoenix and the whole country,” Veravigna said. “They have a monopoly on housing here, and that's frankly wrong.”

In her opinion, there is one solution that can help ease the pain of renters. rent management.

It's a solution that Democrats and tenant advocates in the state Capitol are eyeing. Democratic lawmakers pushed a series of bills in the recently concluded legislative session that would repeal Arizona's ban on the practice and cap rent increases across the state.

However, the bill was opposed by the state's powerful landlord lobby and was never considered.

Rent control would prevent landlords from drastically increasing rents, but state law currently prohibits this practice.

“We're not getting any attention from our Republican colleagues on rent control. That doesn't mean we're going to stop trying,” said Ortiz, a Democratic lawmaker who has proposed repealing state laws blocking rent control. said.

Ortiz cited the shift in Republican positions on short-term rentals as an indicator of how the two parties will try to find common ground on the issue. Both Ortiz and Veraviña argued that rent control could be applied only to certain at-risk populations, such as the elderly and families with young children.

“Right now, this housing crisis is not just impacting low-income people,” Ortiz said. “It’s affecting people from all walks of life.”

Lawmakers proposed some relief this year in the form of eliminating city-imposed rental taxes, and rent increases have begun. slightly decreased That happened by the end of last year, so renters may start to feel a little more at ease. But advocates remain concerned that homelessness is still on the rise in Arizona, especially in the Phoenix metropolitan area, where housing is unaffordable for many.

homeless in arizona 21% increase From 2020 to 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This prompted the federal government to take the following measures: additional assistance Increased to Phoenix.

“I'm hopeful that my Republican colleagues will share the values ​​that states should act to help people who need affordable housing,” said Arizona Senate Minority Leader Mitij Epstein. “It would be a huge step forward for us to understand this,” the bicameral inquiry added. This group helps ensure that members are not working in “silos” on issues.

Epstein said the research group has no plans to introduce legislation at this time.

For Ortiz, it's important for everyone to come together and start sharing ideas because “all levels of government” need to address this issue.

The Judiciary will continue to educate tenants as much as possible, but will follow the law as we watch affordable housing continue to decline in the state.

“I just think the economy is going to be cyclical and there will have to be concessions in all of this,” Huberman said. “There are a lot of things to consider. This is a very precise area of ​​law, but there are also nuances.”

One thing everyone agreed on was education.

Tenants are often confused about what their rights are, either they don't know they can move out before the eviction to avoid a seven-year eviction record, or they don't know the healing process. All agreed that tenants are often unaware of their rights, or are sometimes misled by landlords.

“A lot of this problem is entrenched in macroeconomics, where people's wages can't keep up with exploding rent prices,” Volk said. “There are no solutions unless we change the system.”

Volk compared the way many people are dealing with the growing housing crisis to the climate crisis. This is one form of negativism that has reached its limit. point of no return.

“Homelessness will continue to rise, people will die as temperatures rise, and we will have a dual economy,” Volk said. “The haves and the have-nots are greater.”

If you or a loved one is facing eviction, you can visit the following locations: AzEvictionHelp.org or Regional legal services Seeking resources and support.