Since President Trump still hasn’t signed the congressional pandemic aid package, thousands of Arizonans risk losing unemployment insurance and eviction protections this week. Some Arizona faith leaders say it’s time for Gov. Ducey to intervene.
The CARES Act unemployment programs for gig workers and people out of work long-term are both set to end Dec. 26. The CDC’s ban on some evictions is set to expire Dec. 31.
The Arizona Interfaith Network, a group of dozens of religious leaders from across the state, says Arizona has hundreds of millions in CARES Act funding left. They say Ducey could extend the state’s expired eviction moratorium and provide relief for landlords and tenants.
"In our congregations and in the communities they serve, we are hearing from families being forced to relocate into overcrowded and unsafe conditions, even moving into campgrounds, because they were evicted from their homes," the group wrote in a letter to Ducey. "This is a nonpartisan, moral issue. The health and wellbeing of every Arizonan depend on this."
Ducey this week pledged $40 million toward homelessness programs, but the group says more aid is needed.
The National Council of State Housing Agencies estimates more than 170,000 Arizona renters are at risk for eviction in January.
