It's the start of the month and that means rent is due for many Arizonans. But July also marks the end of some protections meant to help people pay the bills during the pandemic.
In March, Gov. Doug Ducey placed a 120-day moratorium on enforcement of some evictions for Arizonans impacted by the pandemic.
“No one who is suffering the impact of COVID-19 is going to be put out of their house because of an inability to pay their rent," Ducey told reporters at the time.
That order comes to an end July 23. But now, the virus is spreading faster than ever in Arizona. Some state lawmakers are calling for the governor to keep the moratorium through January, but the governor hasn’t indicated he’ll extend it.
More than 600,000 Arizonans have filed for unemployment insurance in the last three months. The CARES Act relief bill passed by Congress in March allowed an extra $600 per week on top of state unemployment insurance. That aid will also expire July 25. After that, Arizona will return to one of the lowest unemployment benefit caps in the nation.
Policy consultant Dana Naimark said it’s in the state’s interest to increase unemployment benefits before federal aid expires.
“It could be very dire consequences for our communities, for families, for public health if you have more and more people homeless, and for economic recovery," Naimark said.
Ducey has said the state will work with federal partners before making any decisions.
