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Out of Reach: Housing prices have turned this Phoenix family into 'modern nomads'

Abel Arriaga is an entrepreneur who grew up on the west side of metro Phoenix. He founded a company called Compa Spirits and, when the pandemic hit, he and his wife found themselves in a very difficult financial spot.

With his wife eight months pregnant, they were relieved when their landlord — who owned the Phoenix home they lived in — told them they wouldn’t have to leave anytime soon.

Shortly after their son was born, their landlord decided to sell the house they were living in and gave them 45 days to move out.

Since, Arriaga, his wife and young son have become what he dubs “modern nomads," living with family, in Airbnbs and VRBOs around the state.

The Show spoke with him about the experience and how hard it was to realize they wouldn’t have a place of their own for a long time.

More stories from the Out of Reach series

Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.